Greetings FIRST LEGO League Oregon,
In today's FIRST LEGO League Oregon Update we will cover these items:
- Malheur County Teams ONLY
- National Registration / Tournament Registration Checkup
- Is My Team Registered?
- Your Best Tool - The Rubrics
- Got Questions? - Find Answers
- Using the Team Meeting Guide x2
If you are new to this email or blog this is the place where you will find all of the OREGON specific FIRST LEGO League information, as well as helpful guides to get your team through the CITY SHAPER FIRST LEGO League season. Coaches and team administrators in the FIRST system for the CITY SHAPER season will be added every Monday until March, automatically. Every update this season begins with CS (CITY SHAPER) and a number, that number lets you know which update it is, if you miss an update you can find it on our blog.
1) Malheur County Teams ONLY
2) National Registration / Tournament Registration Checkup
First, you may be wondering why this is still a topic. Well, because I'm the biggest softy on the West Coast and I don't want any kids to miss out for any reason. I believe in this program. I knew the minute I learned about it that my daughters, and eventually my son (he was 2.5 at the time) need this program. So when I hear from a teacher, a parent, or anyone else saying - is it too late, I know how much it has benefited so many children and I think, not-quite-yet. However, that all has to change as we can't make the tournament rosters without closing. So here it is. If you have not yet applied for a qualifying tournament in Oregon - this is the LAST CALL is this weekend. On Monday, I have no choice but to close it to teams. That also means National Registration is over for the year 😥. Don't worry, we will have lots of fun, and if your group wanted to participate, but couldn't make this cutoff, please sign up to volunteer! We need your help and it's the best way to learn all about the FIRST LEGO League program.
Also, Payments are due for your Qualifying Tournament by October 31st! Your team will not be placed into an event by November 1 without payment. - saddness-
3) Is My Team Registered?
- If your team is highlighted in YELLOW, we do not have a payment for your Qualifying Tournament Application - which means you won't be assigned to an event - fix that here.
- If your team is highlighted in RED, we do not have an application for your team to attend a Qualifying Tournament in Oregon (ignore this if you are from Malheur County) Everyone else, you need to fix this quickly! Use this link.
The team status sheet must be manually updated, so please make sure you check the update stamp at the top of the page to see if your action has been recorded yet. If you have a question about your status please feel free to email Loridee-Wetzel@ortop.org, sometimes this is a typo by a coach.
*One thing not on this report is if your team has two adult coaches with completed background checks. Remember this must happen at www.firstinspires.org BEFORE your qualifying tournament. You will not be able to print your Roster or the paper consent forms without this. - MANY teams do not have this yet*
4) Your Best Tool - The Rubrics
First, you will see the Core Values Rubric. This rubric (like all of them) has three subsections and each subsection has three criteria that are evaluated.
- Inspiration
- Discovery
- Team Identity
- Impact
- Teamwork
- Effectiveness
- Efficiency
- Kids Do the Work - this should be accomplished, come on, you just have to step back a bit!
- Gracious Professionalism
- Inclusion
- Respect
- Coopertition®
Easy, right! Ok, not for everyone, especially the first couple of years. Some of this is going to be hard. And watching your kids in the judging room may give you ulcers. Might want to make sure you provide the opportunities and then let whatever is going to happen, happen in the judging room.
The next page brings us to the Innovation Project. This has some solid yes or nos intermixed with the qualitative critiques. Those yes or nos should be easy for your team to demonstrate if they remember to share it in the judging room. This also provides a list of what needs to be in your presentation, what you need to know about the Innovation Solution, and what kind of follow-up questions the judges will ask.
- Research
- Problem Identification - note this is required. SPELL IT OUT for the judges, don't assume they get it.
- Sources of Information
- Problem Analysis
- Innovative Solution
- Team Solution - again required. Make sure your team can describe your solution and how it addresses the problem in 4 sentences or less. Make it clear! clear! clear!
- Innovation - what's new
- Solution Development - yes, you actually have to do work besides brainstorming.
- Presentation
- Sharing - required before your event! Do not forget to do this in November.
- Creativity - no one likes a boring presentation, make it fun!
- Presentation Effectiveness - Make sure the message isn't lost in the skit or song.
Finally, we have the new Robot Design rubric. This rubric has been changed to reflect that tables are no longer in the Robot Design Judging room and the new 25% rule for the Robot Game. Your team should be able to explain all of their decisions to answer the questions on the rubric. Feel free to use the rubric to ask them why they are doing things the way they are doing it.
- Mechanical Design
- Durability - is it going to break?
- Mechanical Efficiency - did you use more pieces than necessary?
- Mechanization - what moves, why?
- Programming
- Programming Quality - is it good?
- Programming Efficiency - is it reuseable by anyone?
- Automation/Navigation - How does it get there?
- Strategy & Innovation
- Design Process - What did you do?
- Mission Strategy - Why did you do that?
- Innovation - What's new and cool?
I'm sure you can find many ways to use the rubrics. This is what is expected for teams in the program, right there on three pieces of paper. It's not a secret. It's not hidden. It's right there for you set into the exact four levels of accomplishment the judges will be using when they interview your team. Put them to good use!
These are not last year's rubrics!
5) Got Questions? - Find Answers
These emails, the websites, the mountains of information probably have the answer you are looking for, but you don't see it. I get it. This can be confusing, stressful, and sometimes not fun. And that is a problem. If you ever feel any of those things, please reach out to the following resources:
- Robot Game Questions for Oregon: Head Referee Tom Mosher - fll.rules.or@gmail.com
- Ideas for team meetings, just want to talk to another coach: FLL: Share & Learn
- I don't know what I'm doing, I don't know if something Oregon related, I am just overwhelmed and need cat pics: Your FIRST LEGO League Partner - Loridee-Wetzel@ortop.org, I'm here to help your team succeed ALL-SEASON long (including in the spring).
6) Using the Team Meeting Guide x2
Because there was no update last week this week you get two sessions!
Blueprints
Goals to check off this week- Team should be able to program to use lines for navigation
- Team should understand the difference between a loop and a switch
- Team should be able to use a loop and a switch
- Team should have identified 3 problems and potential solutions (no matter how silly) that they can work towards for the Innovation Solution.
- Team should understand the Core Value of Impact
If you are changing up groups (recommended) every two sessions, this is a change groups meeting.
Aside from the robot, your team should start seriously considering their Innovation Project Problem. It’s time to make a bullet list of problems with a building or public space and to define what the community is. For each problem, list a couple of possible solutions and anything that might make it impossible to implement those solutions. Work to get the list down to just a couple of ideas with a couple possible solutions by the end of next meeting. Each team member should take a problem and solution home to do research on whether that solution is already available and how they may be able to modify it to work for their problem.
This is the hardest part of the project. It’s hard to get fired up about research when you aren’t even really sure what you are doing yet. However, this is a tremendous opportunity for your team to make an impact. This is why their solution will be shared! So it can actually happen and not just sit in the junk door of good ideas. Today is the day your team starts to change the world for the better, make sure they know it!
Building Code
Goals to check off this week- Team should understand how to calibrate the color sensor and why they should
- Team should understand when to use a loop and when to use a switch while programming
- Team should understand the Engineering Design Process.
- Team should have a shortlist of problems/solutions that they will pick from in the next meeting.
- Team should understand the Core Value of Fun!
For the robot activity the team will be diving deep into understanding sensors and the controls they will use them with. This is the last learning session before the team will start the crane mission. It’s a good idea to make sure your robot game table is ready for the next meeting at least the Home side. That means reading the Game Guide Carefully. Every table you encounter at your ORTOP Qualifying Tournament will be set as close to perfect as is humanly possible. We know your team is counting on it to be right, but if you practice with the table set incorrectly, no amount of perfection by our amazing volunteers will help your team. Have the entire team inspect the table at the end of this meeting.
This is one of the hardest meetings. Your team has been building skills in understanding how to address a real problem and how to program a LEGO MINDSTORMS robot. However, we aren’t quite moving on our real tasks yet, just on the cusp. This is why we take this meeting to focus on Fun. With your ideas in hand, now is a good time to plan a field trip to see your site and make sure all team members are familiar with it. It’s also a great time for a team bonding activity, like a Core Values game or social activity that has nothing to do with robotics.
So obviously I was out sick. This year's viruses are nasty persistent buggers (and the three virus petri dishes I call my children don't help), but I'm trying to be in and available as much as possible. If your questions were filtered out of my inbox by time or accident, please resend! I know you are all doing amazing and don't need my help, but I'm here for you when you need it. I'm working hard to get the last teams set up with qualfying tournaments. Please Please Please go check! So that I can meet the November 1 deadline for posting assignments. Remember these will not appear on your FIRST Dashboard.
Best Wishes,
Loridee
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