Unofficial FLL FAQ06-c - Project
UFAQ Table of Contents
Q10.1 ) Is the Project what was formally known as the Research Project?
A) Yes.
Q10.2 ) How can I motivate my team to work on the Project?
A1) Do not allow them to work on the robot until certain milestones are met on the Project! Put the LEGO
away and make the whole team work the Project.
A2) Remind them that they must do well on the Project to have a chance at the Director's Award.
A3) Stress the integration of the Project topic with the challenge.
Q10.3 ) How are we supposed to present our Project findings to the judges?
A1) Any way you want! Some do a skit, others do PowerPoint presentations, tri-fold 'science fair' type exhibits,
pre-recorded video, game show , and the list goes on. Just remember your time constraint (the new standardized
time is 5 minutes) and bring everything you need with you.
A2) To give you specific ideas might be to limit your creativity. You could stand in a kiddy pool full of lime Jell-O in a bunny suit and sing a song if that gets the point across. Overly traditional methods are PowerPoint presentations and a skit. Personally, the Jell-O sounds more fun!
Q10.4 ) How much time do we have for the Project presentation?
A) In 2003, FIRST standardized the time to 5 minutes. Most tournaments will probably comply, but there
might be a few that do not. A very large tournament may only give you 3 minutes; smaller ones might allow you more
than 5 minutes. Plan accordingly. When the tournament information packet is distributed (a few weeks before the
tournament), the time allocation should be provided.
Q10.5 ) Do we need to have a Project presentation to compete at a tournament?
A) No, but you will be out of the running for the Director's Award and of course the Project presentation awards.
Although the kids may see the robot performance as the top prize, it really is not. The overall winner (Director's
Award) is based only 20% on performance scores. The rest is teamwork, presentation, technical interviews and the
like.
Q10.6 ) Who can/will/should be present for the technical interviews and Project presentation?
A) This varies from tournament to tournament. Normally, because of room size issues, only the team and the coach
are allowed in. Sometimes the parents are allowed to watch as well. In rare cases, only a part of the team will be
allowed. Contact the tournament director for specifics. Regardless, only the team members can interact with the
judges.
Q10.7 ) Does anyone have any grading rubrics on how the Project will be graded?
A) Scoring rubrics are in the back of the Coaches Handbook (black and orange book from FIRST). But think carefully if and how you want to use them. You do not want to find yourself "teaching to the test".
Q10.8 ) 'Do we need to build a robot for the research presentation?'
A) Unless the instructions specifically call for it, you don't have to build a robot for the research project.
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Disclaimer: This FAQ is not an official FIRST document.
It is an accumulation of knowledge derived from six thousand messages posted to
the FLL forum over three seasons. It has been reviewed by numerous people, but may
still contain errors. Use at your own risk.
Readers are encouraged to submit errors, suggested wording changes, new topics,
or comments to Skye Sweeney at skye@fll-freak.com
Copyright 2003-2006 Skye Sweeney; Last Updated on 10/28/2006