FIRST® LEGO® League 2011
Food Factor
Can FIRST® LEGO® League teams improve the quality of food by finding ways to prevent food contamination? In the 2011 Food Factor Challenge, over 200,000 9-16* year olds from over 55 countries will explore the topic of food safety and examine the possible points of contamination our food encounters – from exposure to insects and creatures, to unsterile processing and transportation, to unsanitary preparation and storage – then find ways to prevent or combat these contaminates. In the Food Factor Challenge, teams will build, test, and program an autonomous robot using LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT to solve a set of Food Safety missions as well as research, develop, and share their innovative food safety solutions. Throughout their experience, teams will operate under FLL’s signature set of Core Values.
2011 Season Details
Links
This page is the first place to go for answers to Robot Game questions if you’ve already read the Robot Game page. You should also visit here often for answers to questions you never even thought of, because the postings here contain official information that will be in effect at tournaments.
Overview of the FIRST® LEGO® League Competition
2011 Melbourne Tournament, Sunday 20th November
CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPETITION DAY
Overview of the FIRST® LEGO® League Competition
Elements of the Competition
The Team Interview.
The intention of the team interview is to see how well the group worked as a team and to ascertain what the students have learned from the experience. The interview is fairly casual and will take place before one of the team's runs on the FLL mat and be lead by the mat judge, the assessment for the interview will be added to the teams best robotics score on the mat. We anticipate that this should take not more than 5 minutes. Your timetable will identify where this will happen. The team information sheet may be used for part of this process and will be used by the MC when your team is competing.Please ensure that each team has completed one announcers sheet, this should be handed in at the registration table by the team leader.
Download the interview planning sheet
Team Challenge
This is a team-work challenge and can't be prepared, the judge will provide the challenge on the day. It won't be a robotics activity but a thinking activity to test the team's organisation and thinking. This activity will take around 5 minutes and the mark awarded will form part of the teams overall score. The challenge time will be time tabled and take place in a classroom adjoining the main hall.
Robot Challenge
Each team will have 3 robot runs on the FLL challenge mat. The best score will be the score that is added to the teams interview, thinking challenge and research project presentation scores to generate their overall score.
Research Project
The research project is based on the overall theme used for the robot challenge mat. There's plenty of scope to exercise your students creativity and integrate the project into your general curriculum. Teams are able to compete in FLL without undertaking the research project but will not be eligible for the overall winning score as they will be missing around 35% of the available points. If your team is not from Victoria please check with your local organising committee
Scoring
Each of the four competition segments : The Robot Challenge ( best score out of 3 runs), Thinking Challenge, Team Interview and Research Project Presentation contribute to the teams overall score. The % of marks allocated to each section will vary with individual FLL Tournament organisers. In Melbourne in 2009 the percentages were : The Robot Challenge 35% ( best score out of 3 runs), Thinking Challenge 15%, Team Interview 15% and Research Project Presentation 35%. If your team is not from Victoria please check with your local organising committee
Set-Up tables (Melbourne Competition)
Set-up tables will be allocated and will have your school / team name on the tables allocated.
If your team requires a loan of a laptop computer/s please let me know so that I can allocate my computers to you. ( See form following)
Please bring along your school banners/ flags to decorate your team's area
Media Release Form.
ALL team members must provide a signed media release form at the registration desk at entry ( One per student). It's possible that the print or TV media will attend this event and the organisers require this paperwork to allow the publication of students photos. This form is supplied above, please ensure that a copy goes home with each team member and is returned signed.
Download the Media Release Form
Spectators (Melbourne Tournament)
All spectators are welcome. Libby Moore from Moore Educational will supply a huge tub of LEGO for younger spectators ( and team members ) to build with in the building corner , this should keep the little's occupied (note small pieces, suitable for ages 4+, parents must supervise young children)
Teams, Remember to bring:
Robot, spare LEGO elements, USB drive, Laptop computer ( or use mine) and charger, your programs, NXT charger and USB lead, spare batteries and the door for the NXT battery bay, your research project material, school banner, snacks and drinks, any medication you may need, money for sausages. Any plans and notes you need. Media release form ( 1 per student) , Team information form ( 1 per team) NOTE space will be limited and we will have enough FLL practice mats.
BIG HINT : Test the laptop you are bringing - before the day
If you are bringing a Lap top computer that your team doesn't usually use please make sure that you check back at school that the LEGO software is installed and the USB drivers work, that your programs are accessible and will download into your robot. This has been an issue with teams in the past
Dates
2011 Melbourne Tournament, 20th November
CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPETITION DAY
Melbourne Contacts;
Sue Inness , Techxellent Training - sue_inness@bigpond.com
Mobile 0414184033
For LEGO Education Center Workshops contact
Phone Free call 1800 684 068 or Melbourne 0393728728
e mail lec@mooreed.com.au
Register Your 2011 Teams
It's essential that you register your teams intention to compete,your registration will include the challenge mat and building elements.
You can order your 2011 competition mat (Available from September 2011) and register your team to compete on the Australian National FIRST® LEGO® League web site.
Luane Heimlich is the Australian Coordinator for FIRST® LEGO® League. Luane oversees FLL in all Australian states. Luane has been involved with FLL for 8 years. She has mentored teams in the USA and now co-ordinates FLL events in Australia via the sponsorship of Macquarie University.
Resources & Links
Follow this link to a page of comprehensive FIRST® LEGO® League resources and links
Please note that FIRST LEGO League is not a Techxellent Training Solutions initiative, it is an initiative of a collaboration between LEGO and FIRST.
Consider an Incursion based on FIRST® LEGO® League
FIRST LEGO League focused Incursion
About FIRST® LEGO® League
FIRST® LEGO® League is a school students competition that combines a research project based around a topical theme this year it's "Food Factor ", plus a robotics challenge designed for this theme and carried out on a purpose designed mat. Whilst the general theme is released early in the year the actual specifics of the project and the robotics challenges are not released until around September 5th yearly. The reasoning behind this is to make the time spent on the project by participating students roughly equal, so that some competitors don’t work on the project for an over-long period of time and gain an advantage, thus the unit of work has a beginning and a projected delivery date.
FIRST® LEGO® League aims at providing teachers and students with a short focused topical unit of work that can easily be integrated into the normal school program and incorporates work that would often be covered during the school year in other formats. The 2011 FLL theme is "Food Factor". FIRST® LEGO® League provides a creative way of delivering curriculum content and motivating students.
Specifically FIRST® LEGO® League can be used to address curriculum content (V.E.L.S.) in the Mathematics measurement and working mathematically areas, Science - control technology and working scientifically, Personal Learning and thinking skills, I.C.T. and systems technology. FLL is ideal for motivating boys, extending gifted and talented students and including girls in ares of the curriculum that don't usually attract girls.
The competition comprises four inter-related elements:
The theme related research project presentation
The practical robotics tasks in association with knowledgeable mentors
A problem solving "thinking challenge" that teams will undertake on the day
Team interview.
The robotics task is executed at the competition, though students have class time to prepare and practice beforehand at their own school. The challenge takes place on a specially designed competition mat that each team receives as part of their team registration( Each years mat is different and this year will be designed with the 2011 theme as it’s inspiration) The mat has various LEGO elements and structures on it and the robots will have to execute specific tasks to earn points ( These LEGO elements and the building guide are part of the FLL pack that contains the mat, teachers information with your competition registration for your team.) The robotics tasks usually involve getting to a specific point/s on the mat, lifting, pushing, carrying, relocating items on the mat; so if teachers practice these skills prior to FLL their teams will be well placed to tackle FLL when the 2011 mat is available
The research component allows students to exercise their creativity in the way they present their information. Previous years have even seen game shows and dances!. Why not consider a game, claymation, song or animation to get the message across?
More about FIRST® LEGO® League