FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is an exciting alliance between FIRST and the LEGO® Group. It’s a robotics program for 9 to 16 year olds (9 to 14 in US/CAN/MEX), which is designed to get children excited about science and technology — and teach them valuable employment and life skills. Teams of up to 10 kids program an autonomous robot (using a LEGO MINDSTORMS® robot set) to score points on a thematic playing surface, create an innovative solution to a problem as part of their Project, all while guided by the FLL Core Values. These three elements – the Robot Game, Project, and FLL Core Values – make up what we call our yearly Challenge.
FLL combines the engineering challenge of a robotics competition with real-world problem solving and inventing. FLL team members learn science and technology skills at the same time as valuable employment and life skills. The FLL Core Values are the cornerstones of the FLL program. They are among the fundamental elements that distinguish FLL from other programs of its kind. By embracing the Core Values, participants learn that friendly competition and mutual gain are not separate goals, and that helping one another is the foundation of teamwork. THE FLL CORE VALUES
HOW DOES IT WORK? Each year, FLL releases the Global Challenge in early Fall. Teams may start to meet before then, but the Challenge release day is when teams learn the details of this year’s Challenge and really start working. Teams usually meet one or two times per week for eight weeks. How long your team meets may depend on many factors such as when your team plans to attend a tournament. Tournament dates vary from region to region, so your coach will need to check the schedule. Your team’s coach may adjust the number and length of the meetings as needed. Check with the coach if you have any questions about the meeting schedule Many teams spend time at each meeting working on all three parts of the FLL experience: the Core Values, the Robot Game, and the Project. Some teams choose to divide into sub-teams so that different groups are working on different tasks. Throughout the season, your child might work with teammates on tasks such as:
|
CHARLES R. DREW CHARTER SCHOOL | 301 E. Lake Blvd., Atlanta, GA 30317 | Phone: (404) 687-0001 | Fax: (404) 687-0480