Coaching FLL Robotics in 4H

Transcription

1 Coaching FLL Robotics in 4H

2 4-H is the youth organization that the participants are involved with. Each 4-H member is part of a community club in Gillespie County and robotics is a project in 4H that he/she is participating in FIRST is the organization that is hosting the program that 4-H youth members are competing in. If you think of it like little league, 4-H is the team the kids are playing for, and they are playing in the FIRST League

3 What Are Coaches Responsible For? Coaches will mainly serve as guides and help facilitate the ideas that the team members have and make sure that the kids are safe. Coaches must be at least 18 years of age, and there must be 2 coaches per team. There must always be at least two adults present at each practice. Therefore, if a coach will be absent, a parent must fill-in during a practice. Coaches will be enrolled as screened adults in 4H, and one coach will also be screened through FIRST. Coaches will be responsible for making sure equipment is properly stored and that the meeting area is in good shape after each practice.

4 Teams & Practices Each team is assigned a team number at registration, but this number will basically only be used at the tournament. Each team will need to choose a name. Each team will also need to design a t-shirt. Practices are 2 hours per week and will go from mid-september to December, January, or February. (Tournaments are not usually determined until sometime in November) The goal is to have teams of 3 rd -5 th graders and teams of 6 th -7 th graders grouped together.

5 CORE values FLL is made up of 3 parts Research Project & Presentation Robot Game At the tournament at the end of the season, our team will be evaluated in all 3 areas.

6 What are CORE Values? According to FLL, CORE values are the cornerstones of the program because they promote friendly competition and the mutual gain that comes with helping other teams and teammates. This program is probably not like anything else that you have been involved with. The goal is not to focus on beating the other teams!!!! We are a team We do the work to find solutions with guidance from our coaches and mentors We know our coaches and mentors don t have all the answers; we learn together We honor the spirit of friendly competition What we discover is more important than what we win We share our experiences with others We display Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition in everything that we do We have FUN!

7 Research Project & Presentation Each season FLL will give us a topic that the kids will need to research and come up with a way of presenting their research. The kids can present their topic as a website, song, skit, dance, speech, etc Each team member must have a part in the presentation Judges will also be looking for ways in which each team shared their presentation with others. Teams can present at 4H Club meetings or for families, churches, or other organizations that they are involved with.

8 Robot Game The Robot Game is the construction and programming of the robot to complete missions. Each team will also be evaluated on the construction of their robot during the tournament. See specific Robot Game Guidelines for each season for complete rules, and there are also PowerPoint presentations that summarize this information on our website.

9 What will the season look like? It is largely up to each individual team, but each team will need to: Choose a team name Design team shirt Choose research topic Design and Build robot Program robot Research project topic and develop a presentation Present research topic Attend tournament NOTE: We will also have two bake sale fundraisers during the fall to help offset program costs, and it gives teams the opportunity to share their experiences.

10 What might a typical practice look like? This is also largely up to individual coaches Practices might begin with a team building activity, short lesson, quiz, puzzle, or instructions on what the team hopes to accomplish during practice Then, teams might designate who is going to work on what (i.e. building, programming, researching) and then team members might rotate during practice. Experienced coaches have often found that assigning tasks to specific members works the best (i.e. photographer, note-taker, designer, etc ) Some time-fillers, quizzes, and team activity ideas are on our website, but please feel free to come up with your own ideas