Frequently Asked Questions
- What is financial cost to schools to participate?
- How does it work for home schools?
- Can groups other than schools register?
- How does Future City fit with the teaching standards/requirements?
- Are educational organizations involved in the program?
- What are the region boundaries? Does the school have to be in North Texas to participate?
- What is the role of the teacher?
- How much time will the teacher have to devote to the project?
- Do the students have to work in 3-person teams throughout the project?
- Is it necessary to have an engineer work with the students?
- What is the role of the engineer-volunteer?
- How much time will the engineer-volunteers have to devote to the project?
- What is the role of the students?
- How much time will the students need to spend on the project?
- Must all students from a team be from the same school? Same class? Same grade?
- Can sixth graders participate?
- Can more than one team per school compete?
- How are the entries judged?
- What are the prizes?
- How many software packages are available for each school?
- Will I receive any instructions on how to use the software?
What is financial cost to schools to participate?
There are basically three sources of expense. Schools needing financial assistance should contact the Regional Coordinator.
- The registration fee is $25.
- There is cost associated with building the model and developing the presentation. Teams are limited to $100 (cash or in-kind) for the two phases. Schools may solicit support from local community organizations.
- For the national competition, the National Engineers Week Committee will provide airfare and lodging for the winning team of the regional competition. Team members will be responsible for all additional expenses: ground transportation, meals, etc.
How does it work for home schools?
Home schools must complete and return the Home School Affidavit. Team members must all be home schooled and
in the seventh or eighth grades. But they need not all be in the same class or home school.
Can groups other than schools register?
Registration is by schools only. Any public, parochial, private or home school may register.
How does Future City fit with the teaching standards/requirements?
Part B of the Teacher Handbook documents how the Future City program meets the national standards for math, science,
and technology education as defined by the Project 2061 Benchmarks for Science Literacy, the National Educational
Technology Standards, the Principals and Standards for School Mathematics, and the National Science Education Standards.
See also, the Resources
section of the National Future City website.
Are educational organizations involved in the program?
The Future City Competition has been approved for inclusion on the
National Advisory List of Student Contests and Activities, produced by the National Association of Secondary School
Principals (NASSP) through its National Committee on Student Contests and Activities.
The National Engineers Week Committee is also working in cooperation with the MATHCOUNTS Foundation and the National
Science Education Leadership Association. MATHCOUNTS is a major nationwide math coaching and competition program for
seventh and eighth graders.
What are the region boundaries? Does the school have to be in North Texas to participate?
There are no specifically defined regional boundaries in the Future City program. Many regions are state-wide.
In Texas, there are, at present, two regional competitions: North Texas and Houston. We welcome any school willing to comply with
the rules and travel to DFW for the presentation of models and designs in January. Schools may participate in the North Texas
Regional - regardless of location or proximity to the North Texas area.
What is the role of the teacher?
The teacher acts as the facilitator and advisor to the team. A Teacher's Handbook is available with ideas for
interdisciplinary and team teaching.
How much time will the teacher have to devote to the project?
The teacher's main jobs will be to schedule time for the students and engineer-volunteer to work together and
to oversee all work done on the project. Teachers spend approximately 30 hours on the competition work.
Do the students have to work in 3-person teams throughout the project?
No, not necessarily in the North Texas region. Teamwork is an essential part of the program, but it is up to
the teacher as to how to implement it. During the computer, essay and model portions of the program, you may
work as a class, in multiple classes, or teams of three or more. However, for the presentation, you must have
a 3-student team.
Is it necessary to have an engineer work with the students?
Yes. While students will enjoy working with the computer software, the engineer brings practical experience and
advice on designing and building the city. We want students to understand how technology impacts our lives.
See tips for finding an engineer-volunteer.
What is the role of the engineer-volunteer?
The engineer serves as a mentor to the students. The engineer may be involved in all phases of the competition
as an advisor to provide input and technical assistance and supplying real-life engineering experiences to the
students as they work on the competition. The students must do all of the actual work.
How much time will the engineer-volunteers have to devote to the project?
The engineer should be available to provide advice and technical assistance to the students. It is hoped that
s/he will be available whenever the students work on the project. If this is not possible, the teacher should
be available to provide advice and assistance. Typically, most engineers devote approximately 20-40 hours.
What is the role of the students?
The students are the actual creators of their future city with help and advice from their volunteer engineer
and teacher. Students are to demonstrate team-like behavior. Students need to allow all team members to provide
input and, in case of disagreement, work out a compromise.
How much time will the students need to spend on the project?
On average, student teams spend 18 hours on city design, 40-60 hours on model building, 8 hours on essay writing,
and 7 hours on presentation preparation.
Must all students from a team be from the same school? Same class? Same grade?
They must be from the same school, but they need not all be from the same class or even the same grade.
Can sixth graders participate?
The competition itself is open to only seventh and eighth graders. However, some of the schools in North Texas have
incorporated aspects of the Future City program into their sixth grade curricula.
Can more than one team per school compete?
Schools may enter as many teams as they like - all can compete in the NTX Regional Competition through the preliminary
round. Only one team per school can advance to the final round. Schools may also work as a class (or classes) and
select three students (one team) that will represent them at the competition. Or, schools may have multiple teams
and hold their own run-off to select the best team(s) to represent them at the regional competition.
How are the entries judged?
In general, they are judged on design, creativity and presentation. All deliverables will be scored by multiple judges -
technical professionals from around the North Texas area. The individual judges scores for each deliverable will be
averaged to obtain the final score.
What are the prizes?
The regional competition will select one overall winning team which will receive a trophy and travel to
Washington DC to represent the Region in the national finals. In addition, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place teams
will receive medals, gift certificates, and a check for the school. The Region will also award special prizes
for categories such as: Best Model, Best Essay, Transportation System Design, and Energy Efficiency. The national
competition will award first, second and third place winners. First place wins a trip to the US Space Camp in
Huntsville, AL. Second place will win a $1000 scholarship for the school's technology program and third place will
win a $500 scholarship for the school's technology program.
How many software packages are available for each school?
We send you one software package with your school's registration. Additional copies may be purchased at a reduced
rate from the Future City website.
Will I receive any instructions on how to use the software?
Software user manuals and tutorials can be downloaded from the Future City website.
Additionally, help may be available from the Future City forum
or consult the EA SimCity Website.