Madison Elementary School FIRST LEGO League FLL 2019

Madison Elementary School FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) 2019 -2020 LEGO Robotics Information Meeting 5 th Grade

What is FIRST®? For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology FIRST was founded in 1989 to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology. Programs: ● Jr. FLL: Junior FIRST LEGO League ● FLL: FIRST LEGO League – Grades 5 -6 at MES ● ● FRC: FIRST Robotics Competition FTC: FIRST Tech Challenge

What is FLL LEGO Robotics? FLL LEGO Robotics is a project based, hands-on activity that will expose students to Math, Science, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving. Elementary students get to: • Research challenges facing today’s scientists • Learn critical thinking, team-building and presentation skills • Apply real-world math and science concepts • Design, build, program and test a robot using LEGO MINDSTORMS® technology • Participate in tournaments and celebrations

FLL Challenge has three parts: ● ● ● Project – research & develop solution to the Challenge Robot Game – design and build autonomous robot FLL Core Values – all while demonstrating the FLL Core Values FLL Teams are: ●Teams of up to ten students ●Coached by adults & mentors ● Students do the work!

FLL Robot Game • Students design, build, program and test a robot using LEGO MINDSTORMS® technology. • Students get 2. 5 minutes for robot to complete as many “missions” on the competition mat as possible. • Points are scored or deducted based on “missions” completed.

Time Commitment for Participants (important!) This is NOT a typical after-school program. Commitment to LEGO Robotics is similar to that required by a youth sports program. Students and coaches will meet once a week or more if needed to prepare for competition. Practices will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays after school until 4: 30 pm to prepare for the FLL Regional Qualifier Tournaments in November/December.

Field Trips to “Challenge”-Topic Experts ● ● ● We also plan to have Field Trips after school hours this fall to interact with experts in fields related to the Challenge project. Interacting with real experts is critical to completing the Challenge project and is extremely important in the judging criteria at Tournaments We will work with parents to coordinate transportation since these will be after-school activities.

Student Expectations at Practices (important!) First and foremost, we want this experience to be FUN, Exciting & Challenging! ● We expect the students to be actively involved in the project and robot building. ● We encourage creative thinking and ideas. ● ● ● We encourage open discussion and mutual respect among the team members. We discourage conflict or bickering. We have limited practice time and a lot to get accomplished, so students should expect a fast-paced team environment. The students need to maintain focus. We want to limit distractions. No use of cell phones, texting, mp 3 players, tablets, etc. unless they are being used in project research or robot design.

Cost to Participate The cost to participate on the LEGO Robotics Team is $50 per student. This money helps defray the cost of registration fees, competition mat, t-shirts, tournament fees and other team expenses that accrue throughout the season. Make checks payable to Madison Elementary with Lego Robotics in the subject line.

Important Dates To Remember ● ● ● Wednesday August 21 st, 2019 – First Practice − Practices will occur immediately after school on Thursdays until 5: 00 pm. Additional practice days may be added as regional tournament approaches. − Parents must make transportation arrangements for student to be picked up from school as soon as practice is over. FLL Regional Qualifier Tournaments – November/December (Date is usually announced around October) − All-day Saturday event − All team members must be present at tournament (important!). Alabama FLL Championship – January (Date is announced after regional qualifier) − If the team qualifies at Regionals, practices will continue through Championships. − All team members must be present at tournament (important!).

Regional Tournament Robot Judging Practice in the Pits Core Values / Teamwork Judging Robot, Posing with Attachments

Parents, We Need You! There are many ways parents can get involved: ● Coaches (requires regular attendance) - FLL requires two registered coaches per team! ● ● ● Assistant Coaches (requires fairly regular attendance) Mentors (examples include: Engineer, Science Professional, Carpenter, Programmer, Marketing Expert, Strategist, Robotics Expert, Teacher, Healthcare Professional, Research Expert, IT Support, Experts in the “Challenge”Topic area) Team Support (examples include: logistics, field trip planning, team building activities, record and document team progress, create archive for future teams, planning end-of-season celebration, coordinating snacks, etc) No Prior Experience Required (just enthusiasm)!

Volunteers So Far. . . • Sara Arszman 4 th Grade teacher at MES • Chelsea Avery Special Education Teacher at MES • Austin Avery Volunteer ● Your Names Here…

Online Resources ● US FIRST – usfirst. org ● FIRST LEGO League – firstlegoleague. org ● FLL Challenge - firstlegoleague. org/challenge ● FLL Coach's Handbook & Team Resources firstlegoleague. org/challenge/teamresources