2015 First Lego League Coach Training Presented by

2015 First Lego League Coach Training Presented by Kids 2 Kids, Ridgewood, NJ

Training Agenda v Welcome v Introduction to FIRST and FLL (Jingru) v How to start a team (Jenny) v How to coach a team (Jingru) v Tournament day introduction and video (Jingru and Jenny) v Ev 3 hardware and software basics, Global Innovation Awards ( Jingru) v Introduction to Kids 2 Kids (Jenny) v Q&A

Igniting young minds. Teaching life skills. Nurturing passions for science and technology. ® Practicing “Gracious Professionalism®. ” FOR INSPIRATION AND RECOGNITION OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Dean Kamen Inventor of: -Segway -i. Bot wheelchair Founder of F. I. R. S. T "To transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders. “---Dean Kamen Why did he found first? We all know that sports are very popular in America, but not all kids shine in sports. FIRST gives opportunities to for kids to show their talents in Science, Technology, Programming, Leadership, Research skills and more!

FIRST learning… First FIRST program Establishment dates: FRC : 1992 FLL : 1998 Jr. Fll : 2004 FTC : 2005

The FLL Team Experience v Miniature engineering project team stressing Creativity and teamwork Engineering principles: requirements, alternatives, rapid prototyping, testing, … v Hands-on problem solving v Context is a real-world situation v Illustrates multiple roles: Designers, Builders, Programmers, Sales and Marketing v Insights into possible careers v The youngsters do the work – FLL Coaches’ Promise and FLL Core Values

Challenge: Overview and History In early fall, FLL releases a Challenge, which is based on a real -world scientific topic. Each Challenge has three parts: the Robot Game, the Project, and the FLL Core Values. Teams may then attend an official tournament, hosted by one of our FIRST LEGO League Partners.

Pilot Year

How do you get involved?

Finding a team • Full list found at FIRST’s website: http: //www. usfirst. org/whats-goingon/ The Problem: Contact info will be private • FIRST’s community will be glad to help you find a team The Problem: Many teams are already full Programs Jr. FLL FTC FRC NJ Teams 133 85 309

Starting a new team

Community & School Teams • Community teams - Made by parents – Coaches are parents – Members come from different areas, schools, and families – Team. Up by FIRST may be used to form • School teams – Coaches are teachers, other school staff, or parents – Proved by the school principal – Members are students in that school

What does a team need? • At least 2 coaches • Up to 10 team members (preferably 6) who are ages 9 to 14 • Materials – MINDSTORMS sets – Mission models (available from LEGO) – A table for the missions – A team identity (shirts, stickers, etc. ) • Understanding of the rules (Coaches’ Handbook, Participation Rules, Challenge Rules) • TEAMWORK

Team Organization • Coach: inspire, guide, and support the team. • Team Member: decide on strategy, build, program, research, choose a problem and innovative solution, and present at a tournament. • Team Structure: team captain, CEO and BOD, we are equals here, robot team and research team, small quick teams. • Team Roles: team captain, co-captain, mission manager, project manager, website manager, builder team leader, programming team leader, videographer, photographer, quality controller, presentation writer, set designer…

Team Member Application • Team handbook sample: http: //kids 2 kids. club/resources/

About the MINDSTORMS Set • 3 allowed controllers: RCX, NXT, and EV 3 • EV 3 is the latest • Two versions: home and education • We suggest the education edition with the expansion set ($99) EV 3 Sets Home Edition Education Set Designed For Kids and hobbyists at home Teachers Students Mainly Found In Many Toy Stores LEGO Stores Online Stores Education Resellers Programming Free or Paid ($99. 95) with extra features Parts Different Price $349. 99 $349. 95

How much does it cost? • Team registration - $225 • Game Set - $75 • Practice event - $50 • Competition events - $75 each • Robot set - $350 to $450 • Practice table - $100 • Project supplies - about $100 • Team identity (such as shirts and stickers) - $150 • Total: $1, 225

How much effort is needed? Aug Challenge released Work starts Sep Work continues Oct Teams register for tournaments Work continues Nov Work continues Practice competition Regional competition Dec Work for state competition completes State competition • Meetings every week • First year team: 2 -3 hours/week • Experienced team: 610 hours/week Sample FLL Season Schedule: http: //kids 2 kids. club/resources/

The registration process A coach registers the team at https: //my. usfirst. org/fll/tims/site. lasso

The registration process Coach should pass the background check and sign the consent & releases form.

The registration process Provide team information, invite alternate coach, and mentors. Pay team registration fee. (Team number is fixed, team name can be changed later)

The registration process Register for event, order product.

The registration process Practice event, regional event usually will open at the beginning of October in NJ. Fees are required for most events. All events fill up very quick.

The registration process FLL field set kit will be ordered at Lego Education Site. It will be shipped around late July. EV 3 core set and expansion set are also available here.

The registration process Invite team members’ parents to create accounts, register their kids for the team, and sign the consent form online. Coach will accept or reject their application. Print and bring the team roster for each tournament.

COACHING A TEAM-- YPP • New from FIRST last year • Two Lead Coaches/Mentors from each team must be trained in the provisions of the FIRST YPP – Undergo YPP training provided by FIRST – Obtain Youth Protection Clearance (YPC) through FIRST, which involves a criminal background and sex offender registry check – Conduct a team safety meeting early in the season

Coaching a Team--Few tips for new coaches 1. Anything worth doing is worth doing 2. Complete the research in general 3. Get a few missions down cold 4. Plan on being there 5. Remember the adage of the early days of stock car racing : ” Run what you brung…” 6. Nothing takes an hour…

Coaching a team-Branding Key Elements v v v A Name A Logo Cloth and Gear Banner and Display Your Robot! Website

Coaching a Team—Core Values Inspiration v Balanced emphasis on all three aspects (Robot, Project, Core Values) of FLL v Enthusiastic and fund expression of the team identity v Application of FLL values and skills outside FLL Teamwork v Problem solving and decision making process help team achieve their goals v Resources used relative to what the team accomplishes (time management, distribution of roles and responsibilities) v Appropriate balance between team responsibility and coach guidance Gracious Professionalism v Consideration and appreciation for the contributions (ideas and skills) of all team members, with balanced involvement v Team members act and speak with integrity so others feel valued v Team competes in the spirit of friendly competition and cooperates with others

Coaching a Team—Project Research v v Clear definition of the problem being studied Types and number of quality sources cited, including professionals in the field Depth to which the problem was studied analyzed by the team Extent to which existing solutions were analyzed by the team. Innovative Solution v Clear explanation of the proposed solution v Innovative and original v Consideration of factors for implementation Sharing v Sharing the project before the tournament with others who might benefit from the team’s effort v Imagination used to develop and deliver the presentation v Message delivery and organization of the presentation

Coaching a Team—Robot Design • • Mechanical Design Programming Strategy and Innovation Off season practice and projects

Tournament Day Sample Tournament Day Agenda 7: 00 Doors open 7: 00 -7: 45 Registration and pit setup 8: 00 -8: 20 Opening Ceremonies 8: 30 -12: 30 Judging: 3 events per team 9: 00 -12: 00 Practice matches on the competition field 12: 00 Coaches meeting at the competition field: one adult from each team 11: 15 -1: 30 Lunch Break – food available in the cafeteria 1: 00 -4: 15 Robot Competition Matches 4: 30 -5: 00 Awards Presentation Tournament day checklist, please see handouts

Interviews There are 3 interview sessions held on tournament day, teams are required to attend all 3 interviews. Each Interview lasts for 10 minutes, with 5 minutes to the team and 5 minutes for Q&A Judges will assesse each team based on the rubrics and will give brief feedback for team’s performance. Please see handouts for rubrics

Robot Game Each team will have 3 runs in total. Each run is 2. 5 mins, the highest score of all 3 runs counts. Only 2 team members (kids) are allowed to run the robots for each run. Refs will count the scores using score sheet (see next page) when robot performs. One of the two members running the robot will need to sign off the score sheet after each run.

Score Sheet

kids 2 kids • Mission To advance youths’ community service and leadership skills by providing a platform for kids to help and learn from other kids. • http: //kids 2 kids. club/ – Team Up Information – Upcoming Events – Activity photos and progress updates – Sponsors and Fundraisers • Stay Connected!

Resources These resources contain the Challenge, rules, registration, and all the resources you need to get started. • FLL global website: firstlegoleague. org • United States FIRST website: usfirst. org • FLL Handbook • First Lego League The Unofficial Guide