FIRST® LEGO® League Project and Judging

Food Factor® ChallengeJune 15, 2011

Introductions

Ben BlackSystem Engineer – advanced control, simulation and roboticsNational Instruments-- and –Judge Advisor for Central Texas FLLBen.black@ni.com | 512.683.5934

The Four Components of Judging

• Robot Game• Technical Presentation• Teamwork/ FLL Core Values• Research Project & Presentation

Note: to be eligible for an award, your team MUST take part in all elements of the competition

Technical Judging

• Design– Complexity– Efficiency

• Programming– Combination of tasks– Use of programming structure

• Engineering Process– Design process– Choice of tasks

What to expect…

• Question & Answer Format• Make sure you bring…– Your robot– A printed copy of your programs

• Remind your students “Ask the judges to rephrase if you don’t understand the question!!!”

Core Values Judging

Judges are looking for…

• Well defined tasks for each student• A functional / healthy team structure– One strong leader– Multiple strong leaders– Leadership by committee– …etc

• Understanding of FLL core values• Practice of FLL core values

The Project:3 Easy Steps

1. Identify a problem2. Develop an innovative solution3. Share results

1 – Identify a Problem

• Research• Chaos• Internet• More chaos• More pointed research• Dwindling chaos• Consultation of experts• Convergence on a research topic

2 – Develop anInnovative Solution

• Come up with some solution to the problem that you identified…

• Two most common questions:– What is “innovative?”– How realistic does the solution need to be?

Share your solution…

• Tell your community about the problem• Share your solution with them– Put a video on YouTube– Pass out fliers– Perform a skit at a community

meeting– Email your Congress person or

City Council Member

Where to start...

• usfirst.org – FLL > 11 Years of Themed Challenges > 2011 Food

Factor Challenge• READ THE PROJECT DESCRIPTION!• usfirst.org– 2011 Body Forward Challenge > Project Topic

Guide– Read How-To Guide

Present Your Work

• Three required parts– Describe your problem and solution– Show research and talk about sources– Show how you shared your findings

• To share with the judges...– The importance of the project theme– Solid research– Your innovative solution

How to Share

• Pick a presentation style• Leave time to polish– Understand the theme well– Involve your community– Survey your team's individual talents– PRACTICE!

• Present in 5 minutes...including setup time

Getting Ready

Preparing for the Season

• Sample season schedule in Coaches’ Handbook– Page 97 (*)

• Let the students research– Build excitement about the theme– Pick an interesting and tangible topic– Slowly mold the chaos into a research project

• Reach out to community experts– Resources listed here– Look for resources in your school community

Preparing for Competitions

• PRACTICE!– Practice the game with a timer– Practice the research presentation including…

• Setup time• Costumes• Sample questions

– Practice for the technical judging• Use judging rubrics to make sample questions– In your Coaches’ Handbook, pages 104-9 (*)

• Bring everything you’ll need• Make plans for lunch

What to Expect at a Tournament

• 8:00 –Check-in• 9:00 –Opening Ceremonies• 9:30-11:30 –Round 1 of competition and

presentations• Lunch• 11:30-2:30 –Rounds 2 and 3 and remaining

presentations• 3:00 –Closing Ceremony– Also see “How the Day Works” in Coaches’ Handbook,

pages 70-80

The Morning ofthe Competition

• Be on time!• Get set up in the pit and meet the teams

around you• Take inventory of everything you need for the

day• Make sure you know where you need to be

and when (both for judging and for the game)• Relax and have fun

ben.black@ni.com