Before You Begin This Session
The goal of this session is to provide your team with a walk-through experience of a VEX V5 Robotics Competition event, so that they can feel prepared and comfortable with what to expect on competition day. This session is set up for students to practice doing things like going through inspection, packing and setting up a pit, following a match schedule, and other logistics they will be responsible for managing throughout the event. Your role is to guide students through this “dress rehearsal”. You know your students best, so you can tailor this experience to best meet their needs.
Before you begin this session, read over this page, and the Coach Notes, so you can prepare the walk-through effectively. Think about where you will hold your practice event and what elements you want to emphasize for your team.
If possible, you may want to invite other teams or adult volunteers to join you to help add a realistic element, and give students the opportunity to practice communication skills with others.
- Students can act as another team, to practice strategy discussion with an alliance partner.
- Adult volunteers can take on roles like judge, inspector, or referee, to practice interviews and your team advocating for themselves at a match.
- Families can join to cheer and mimic the sights and sounds of competition.
Prepare for Robot Inspection by reading this article and sharing the checklist with your students. If you or your students are unsure whether a part is allowed on a VEX V5 Competition robot, refer to the Legal Parts Appendix. This resource provides a current list of parts that are legal for competition and can be a helpful reference as students design and modify their robots.
Share this Letter Home (Google doc / .pdf / .docx) with your team's families so they know the expectations for the competition day. The Letter Home has template text for you to update with the specifics of your team's competition situation. Be sure to edit the letter before sharing it.
It's time to get ready for your first competition day! A VEX V5 Robotics Competition event involves more than just playing a match – this session will guide you through the main elements of a competition day experience, so you know what to expect and can be prepared. While every competition event is a little different, there are things you can practice so you are not surprised when you arrive. Throughout this session, you will walk through some of the logistics involved in an event, so that by the end of the session you know what you need to do to be ready for competition day.
It's time to get ready for your first competition day! A VEX V5 Robotics Competition event involves more than just playing a match – this session will guide you through the main elements of a competition day experience, so you know what to expect and can be prepared. While every competition event is a little different, there are things you can practice so you are not surprised when you arrive. Throughout this session, you will walk through some of the logistics involved in an event, so that by the end of the session you know what you need to do to be ready for competition day.
Remember, students are at the center of the VEX V5 Robotics Competition. Your role during this practice session is to make sure that your team is prepared for what they will be faced with at the competition. You can coach and give reminders for things, but the team is ultimately responsible for their actions and interactions with referees, Alliance partners, and judges. For more information, view the Student-Centered Policy.
You may want to share the actual event information from VEX Robotics Events with your team, to give them additional ownership and leadership opportunities as they prepare for the event.
Checking-in and Preparing Your Pit
When a team arrives at a competition, they must check in. Each event has a designated check in area where coaches let the event partner know they arrived. Your coach will check you in, and get important information to share with you like the inspection sheet, match schedule and pit map.
Your team's pit will be like your home base for the day, and will be labeled with your team number. This is your team's area to work on your robot, code, and strategy between matches. This is also where judges will come to find you for interviews.
You will need to bring everything you need from your team's space with you to your pit. This includes things like:
- Your robot and controller.
- Extra batteries.
- Extra V5 parts and tools.
- Your engineering notebook.
Preparing Your Pit
Now it is your turn to pack and prepare for the competition! In this activity you will take stock of what you have in your team's space, and create a packing list of what you will need to collect and transport to the event.
Use this task card (Google doc / .pdf / .docx) to guide you through preparing to set up your pit.
- Begin by talking about everything you do in a regular team meeting, and what materials you use.
- Consider how you are getting to your event, and think about how you will transport things like your robot safely.
Now it is your turn to pack and prepare for the competition! In this activity you will take stock of what you have in your team's space, and create a packing list of what you will need to collect and transport to the event.
Use this task card (Google doc / .pdf / .docx) to guide you through preparing to set up your pit.
- Begin by talking about everything you do in a regular team meeting, and what materials you use.
- Consider how you are getting to your event, and think about how you will transport things like your robot safely.
The packing list your team creates in this exploration is likely not going to have everything on it after the first try. You can ask the team questions as they are preparing to guide them to thinking about things they might need, without supplying the answers. For instance:
- How are you going to charge your Controller and Batteries? Will you bring them pre-charged, or do you need to charge them during the event?
- Do you have the boxes, carts, or materials you need to transport everything? Are there extra items we need to find, buy, or borrow?
- Who on the team will be responsible for making sure that things are ready to go?
If time allows, you may want to invite the team to think about things like how they will share their team identity at the event as well. Some teams bring decorations or wear matching outfits to events to share their team spirit.
Inspection
Inspection is a process in which volunteers check a robot against the rules and requirements in the game manual to ensure that the robot is allowed to participate in matches. A robot cannot participate in official matches without passing inspection. There will be an inspection area at the event that you will bring your robot to at the start of your day.
Robot inspection makes sure that all robots are following rules related to size, parts, and software. Look at the Inspection Rules section of the game manual to learn more about the rules related to inspection.
This inspection checklist can help you make sure your robot will pass inspection. Print it out and check each item on the list as you prepare for your first event. You can also refer to the game manual to learn about inspection rules.
Inspections can take about 20-30 minutes, but may take longer. When thinking about your competition day, you'll want to allow for enough time to get inspected before matches begin.
Practice Inspection
Next, your team will practice the inspection process to make sure that your robot will pass inspection at the competition.
Use this task card (Google doc / .pdf / .docx) to guide you through inspection.
- Follow the inspection checklist to make sure your robot is in compliance.
- Note any action items that you want to address before competition on your task card.
Next, your team will practice the inspection process to make sure that your robot will pass inspection at the competition.
Use this task card (Google doc / .pdf / .docx) to guide you through inspection.
- Follow the inspection checklist to make sure your robot is in compliance.
- Note any action items that you want to address before competition on your task card.
It is your team's responsibility to pass the inspection process at the competition. Your role is to ensure that the team and robot arrive safely on time, with enough time to be inspected before matches begin.
You can print out extra copies of the robot inspection checklist to make sure that everyone on the team is clear on what the inspection requirements are. Be sure to have a way of measuring the robot to ensure it fits within the size constraints.
If you have adult volunteers helping with this Session, have one of the adults act as the inspector, and check off/initial each checklist item.
Qualifying Matches
A Qualifying Match is an official match that is used to determine teams’ rankings for alliance selection. Each qualification match consists of 2 alliances, one “red” and one “blue,” composed of 2 teams each. Each qualification match consists of an autonomous period followed by a driver-controlled period. The alliance that outscores the other is the winner of that match.
Your team will play several matches at the event. Initially, you will be randomly paired with another team as an alliance partner.
- The match schedule shows the time, location, and your alliance partner for matches.
- Find your alliance partner before the match to develop a game strategy and ensure they arrive at the match on time.
- Keep track of the current match number being played and arrive at the queuing area early with your alliance partner.
Alliance Selection
Teams that move into the alliance selection phase of a tournament can choose an alliance partner. Throughout a competition event, it is important to pay attention to how other teams are playing, and how their strengths can complement your own, and make a strong alliance.
Watch this video to learn about how the alliance selection process works.
Practice the Logistics of a Match
Now that you've gone through inspection, it's time to get ready for a match! In this activity you will walk-through the logistics of a competition match.
Use this task card (Google doc / .pdf / .docx) to guide you through your practice match.
- Make sure that you are on time for your match based on the match schedule.
- Review the rules and scoring so that you can be confident in checking your score with the referee.
- Remember, your coach cannot be with you at the Field during a match. Your team is responsible for match play and advocating for yourselves after the match if there is a rule or scoring discrepancy.
Now that you've gone through inspection, it's time to get ready for a match! In this activity you will walk-through the logistics of a competition match.
Use this task card (Google doc / .pdf / .docx) to guide you through your practice match.
- Make sure that you are on time for your match based on the match schedule.
- Review the rules and scoring so that you can be confident in checking your score with the referee.
- Remember, your coach cannot be with you at the Field during a match. Your team is responsible for match play and advocating for yourselves after the match if there is a rule or scoring discrepancy.
The goal of this activity is for your team to practice what will happen when they get to an actual competition match. Remember, the coach cannot be with the team at the Field. The team is responsible for arriving ready to play and advocating for themselves if need be.
Have a sample match schedule for the team. You can use the one shown in Appendix B of the game manual as a reference. Encourage the team to figure out how they will make sure they are on time for a match.
Practice confirming a score: If time allows, you can have the team actually play a practice match to score it. If not, just have the Field set up as though they have played, so they can practice scoring a match for themselves. Have a volunteer act as the referee and show the team a score to confirm.
Role play interactions if you think your team would benefit from communication skills practice.
- To practice respectfully advocating for themselves, show them an inaccurate score to role play how to respond and appeal a referee's ruling or score.
- To practice strategy discussions with another team, have students or volunteers act as alliance partners to role play how to develop a collaborative strategy for a match.
You can invite parents to come and cheer at the Field, announce what is happening during match play, or use the actual tournament sound effects for things like the start of the match, if you think your team would benefit from being exposed to some of the sensory stimuli of a VEX V5 Robotics Competition event ahead of time.
Engineering Notebook Judging and Interviews
Your team uses your engineering notebook to document the work you've done to design, build, and iterate on your robot. The team's engineering notebook will be turned in at event check-in, and judged. Your team may also be interviewed by the judges during the event.
Engineering Notebook
Throughout this lab, you have been documenting your progress and processes in your engineering notebook. Your notebook will be submitted for judging during the VEX V5 Robotics Competition event.
- When you documented data about your driving and strategy development in Sessions 3 and 4, you were documenting independent inquiry.
- When you documented your robot design ideas and testing data in session 5, you were documenting evidence of the engineering design process.
Team Interviews
Interviews are one way that volunteer Judges get information about teams to determine winners of judged awards at the event. Judges interview teams in their pits and rate all teams using the same criteria. An interview includes two or more judges and a single student team, and typically lasts 5-10 minutes. It is intended to be a conversation, not a presentation by a team.
Preparing Your Notebook for Judging
Now it's time to make sure that your engineering notebook is ready for judging. In this activity, you will judge your own notebook, using the rubric, and make note of what you want to change in your notebook moving forward.
Use this task card (Google doc / .pdf / .docx) to guide you through the activity.
- Make sure that all team members are clear on what is in the engineering notebook rubric.
- Make sure your summary (or summaries) are ready to share with judges.
Now it's time to make sure that your engineering notebook is ready for judging. In this activity, you will judge your own notebook, using the rubric, and make note of what you want to change in your notebook moving forward.
Use this task card (Google doc / .pdf / .docx) to guide you through the activity.
- Make sure that all team members are clear on what is in the engineering notebook rubric.
- Make sure your summary (or summaries) are ready to share with judges.
In this exploration, students will review their full engineering notebook and make any small updates needed before turning it in. They may use either the Engineering Notebook Rubric or the Student-Friendly Engineering Notebook Rubric to guide their review.
Remind students that this is not the time to rewrite or redo past entries. Instead, they should check that their notebook clearly shows their ideas, testing, decisions, summaries, and reflections from the STEM Lab.
Note: The Student-Friendly rubric can help students understand the expectations in more accessible language. However, judges at events will use the official Engineering Notebook Rubric to evaluate notebooks.
Students can use what they learn from this review to improve their notebooking habits moving forward, so their documentation continues to grow throughout the season.
If you think your students would benefit from practicing their interview skills, have an adult volunteer act as a judge and role play an interview with the team. This can help students practice how they will articulate their learning over the course of the season. Share one of the interview rubrics below with students so they can discuss it before and after the role-play.
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