Running Head: Future City Engineering Competition

SED 464 Signature Assignment

Instructor Bartlett
Grant for Teacher Technology and Software Classes
Richard Williams
Future City Engineering Competition

Future City Engineering Competition

Activities/Assessment:
Several students will be selected as the leaders of the various teams, the
other students will then choose which group leader they want to work withgroups
of three. The groups will pick a city name, encouraged to base it on the region they
have chosen or something to do with their research, and begin brainstorming
potential solutions; or at least some questions about the problem that will guide
their research. The students will use enrichment class hour to communicate and
work, and will also have meeting time available before and after school regularly.
For the students who do have technology access at home, teachers will help them
set-up a google doc so they can work outside of class. Direct instruction on research
methods, proper use of technology tools, and guest speakers/videos on agriculture
and engineering will provide the background for the student-led research and
problem solving. During the research and Sim City building phase, the instructors
will pose guiding questions about research conducted and team goals to ensure that
the teams will always have something they are working towards and that the
simulation program, the research, and the writing components are being thought of
as an integrated project, and not separate things that have nothing to do with each
other. After compiling the research and evaluating their proposed solution against
the research and the Sim City, they will start preparing their presentation speeches
and essay. A writing workshop will be performed on the 2 nd draft of speeches and
essays, where the writing will be passed to two other groups for critiquing after the
English teacher models how to critique a speech/essay. Simultaneously, the
students will be responsible for constructing the physical model and practicing their
presentations as homework. Before the regional competition team-selection
deadlinewhere teachers can sign up only three teamsteachers will have or own

Future City Engineering Competition

intra-school competition visited by all the other classes on campus. The 6 th-8th grade
teachers will vote from the rubric used at the real competition to determine the best
presentation/model combination from the 7th and 8th grade. The students and
teachers from the visiting classes will vote on the best presentation and model on a
two category 1-5 scale based on their opinions. The highest score from the popular
vote will join the other two as the third team.

Future City Engineering Competition

Future City Engineering Competition

Future City Engineering Competition