2. Congratulations and Discuss The Results of the Competition. What did we learn?
3. Next Week: Share Cities Tuesday 2nd lunch (Feb 5th): 8th Graders will share their city Friday 1st lunch: 6th Graders will share their cities
4. Discuss: Bridge Design Contest http://bridgecontest.usma.edu/ - What is it? - Ms. Collins will stay after school on Thursdays until 2:50 for students to work on online bridge contest. - Students may also work during tutorial. - Students may download the software online and work at home. - Rules for over 13 - Rules for under 13
5. Models should be taken home by Friday, February 8th.
6. Clean up/put away materials that will not be used this year.
1. One (or more) presentations today, at the start of our meeting.
2. Collect: Media Waiver forms
3. Upcoming: January 26th (Saturday): Future City Competition takes Place in Boston. January 29th during first lunch (Tuesday after the competition): All teams display their cities in the library and stay with their models to answer questions. Speak to me if you have a presentation prepared.
Today: Everyone - please have a seat. 1. One (or more) presentations today, at the start of our meeting.
2. Collect: Media Waiver forms
3. Upcoming: January 24th (next Thursday): Last meeting before competition. All media waiver forms are due. January 26th (Saturday):Future City Competition takes Place in Boston. January 29th during first lunch (Tuesday after the competition): All teams display their cities in the library and stay with their models to answer questions. Speak to me if you have a presentation prepared.
Today: Work on models and presentation. Note: Your presentations should be no longer than 7 minutes. Media Waivers: Everyone who attends the competition should fill out a media waiver.
Upcoming: Tomorrow: Any teams that wish to present please let me know by tomorrow. January 17th: Next Week: Teams will present their cities at our Future City meeting after school. January 26th: Future City Competition takes Place
Today: Work on models and presentation. Note: Your presentations should be no longer than 7 minutes.
Upcoming: January 5th: City Narrative is due January 17th: Teams will present their cities at our Future City meeting after school. January 26th:Future City Competition Takes Place
Good video to watch on your own: video about building skyscrapers. (inactive link) It will help you understand the process from the ground up.
Continue working on virtual city, the model, essay and abstract.
Meeting 11: December 6, 2012
Goals: To learn about engineering, to work on our cities and to get ready for the competition.
1. Activator: Build a square (use 4 pieces of cardboard and 4 brass fasteners) and a triangle (out of 3 pieces of cardboard and 3 brass fasteners.) Which one is more stable? What does this have to do with engineering?
2. SimCity deadline: extended to tomorrow
3. Work on cities until 2:50.
Meeting 10: November 29, 2012
Goals: To learn about engineering, to work on our cities and to get ready for the competition.
1. Activator: In the Future City Competition, points are awarded to teams who show excellent teamwork. Please list at least two ways your Future City team has or has not shown teamwork, and then give at least three reasons why teamwork is important in the Future Cities club.
3. Upcoming Deadlines for Competition: SimCity is due next Thursday, December 6th Research Essay and City Narrative are due on December 20th (Note: You can still enter if these are late, but there are point penalties.)
4. Work on Models and SimCity
5. 3:20 Clean-up
Meeting 9
November 15, 2012: Focus on SimCity
Goals: To have students work on models while Ms. Collins works with some students on SimCity.
1. Activator: Teams who want to enter the Future City competition need to include 2 moving parts in their models. With your group members, talk about your moving parts and be ready to share your ideas with others in the club.
2. Notes: The SimCity must be completed by December 6 There will be no Future City meeting next week as it is a short week.
3. Begin work on models and SimCity.
Model: There will be no painting today or heavy tool use so that Ms. Collins may work with students on SimCity.
SimCity: A. How many groups want to work on their SimCity today? B. I have 4 student computers, let's make this fair. C. I figured out how to rename regions: each team will have their own region. D. Every team must use the medium sized city in their assigned region: the city that is in the middle of all the other established cities. E. I encourage students to help each other with the SimCity.
4. 3:00 Cleanup
3. 3:15 Eighth Graders tell the club about their UMASS visit.
1. Activator:This year's Future City Essay Theme is: Identify a storm water runoff problem that is important for your city to manage and design a solution. Remember your solution should be innovative, futuristic and plausible. List some possible runoff problems, and then list some solutions. The essay is due in about 4 weeks.
Objectives: Learn how important zoning is to the success of a city. Learn about engineers. Sketch a map of your city. Work on your models.
1. Activator: Every city will have residential, commercial and industrial zones (see the definitions below.) How should you zone your city? Should your school be next to a factory? Should a power plant be in the center of town where you go shopping? Why or why not? Where should high tech industry go? Discuss these questions with your group.
Definitions Residential Zones: The place where residents live: houses and apartment buildings. Commercial Zones: Where commerce happens - where things are bought and sold: the center of town, malls, and stores. Industrial Zones: Where things are manufactured(made) or processed: factories, high tech (like Microsoft), power plants, and water treatment plants.
2. Whole group discussion of activator
3. Watch Engineer Video
4. Your models can represent all or part of your city, but you should have a map of your city to show where things will be. Sketch a quick map of your city with labels.
5. Work on Models. Kids who signed up to learn and work on SimCity meet with Ms. Collins
Discussion: What are some ideas you liked from from the video? List some futuristic ideas for your own city. (Use your imagination) Share your ideas in small groups.
Wrap-Up: Each group shares one or two ideas with the whole club.
Goal of Future City Club: To learn about engineering, build a model city and have fun. optional: To complete all portions of the Future City Competition and present in Boston on Jan 26, 2013
Activator: 1.Put your name on a piece of paper, draw and/or describe a futuristic vehicle.
Notes from last year 2011 meeting 1 Activator: Make a list of important things that should exist in a city of the future! Share Attendance, responsibilities, hand-outs, index cards and website View last year's model, essay and Sim City Watch Video : Select the "Need to Know" video Questions and answers about the club
meeting 2 Activator: Create a meaningful name for a Future City Introduce Essay topic: Students research and write an essay (maximum 1,000 words) in which they choose one energy source and design a way to generate electric power for their city that does not deplete natural resources and has limited impact on the environment. Watch Build the Model Video Assign Groups: Each group needs a notebook and a folder. Each group will be given a plastic bin to store their supplies. City Planning Worksheet handed out with lots of ideas generated. Groups should use this sheet as a guide for building their cities.
meeting 3 Activator: How can you use a recycled water bottle in your Future City? Write down as many ways as you can. Discuss proper use and handling of supplies and materials Watch Sim City Video and discuss. I have a few copies of the software that can be borrowed for a few days at a time. Software is usually available for under $20 at Target, Best Buy and online at Amazon.com Work on Sim City, city planning and city models in groups
meeting 4 Activator: Make a list of all the forms of energy that you can think of Discuss energy. What kinds of energy will power your city? Follow this link to find information about energy! This video about solar energy is kind of long but it contains very current information about solar energy and its potential for the future.