The 2020 FLL Workshop was the first time that Girls of Steel hosted and ran a free virtual summer camp. Nine Girls of Steel mentors and 53 grade 4 to 8 students participated at the camp.  Through different Zoom functions over the week the students learned the basics of Scratch-based EV3 programming, discovered reverse engineering, and completed a research project that proposed a solution to the RePlay challenge topic “find a problem related to people not being active enough and research and propose a solution to that problem.” Before camp started we provided each student the following materials*: a 9″x12″ whiteboard, a whiteboard marker, a screwdriver, a toy car, and a copy of the reverse engineering activity worksheet. We purchased the toy cars at Amazon and Fat Brain Toys. 

“The most rewarding aspect of the camp was being able to see the students’ knowledge
grow immensely over just one week.” Girls of Steel mentor

Each camper had the opportunity to collaborate with high school mentors and each other, so the camp was very interactive. Despite the hurdles of being virtual and functioning with an abundance of technology, the camp was a success on many levels. In fact, one of the mentors recalled, “It was not only a pleasure sharing my experiences and knowledge with younger students, but also very rewarding to me as well.  Especially after a camper told me that she aspires to become a programmer-president hybrid when she grows up; girls like her inspire me very day.”

Monday: On Monday, the students became acquainted with their team members and thanks to Aditri and Grace they the learned about the Girls of Steel Robotics program and FIRST. In addition to familiarizing the campers with the 2020 FLL mission/challenge, we discussed the adjustments made to this year’s program. Since this year was the first time we have run a virtual camp, it was important to cover Zoom etiquette and how to access breakout rooms. Afterwards, the students took part in STEM trivia presented by Elizabeth. The Girls of Steel value and recognize the importance of building a team off of Core Values, so Emma discussed and reviewed their meanings.  Afterwards, there was Kahoot presented by Gigi about topics covered at camp. One of the Core Values, teamwork, emphasizes the importance of working together. A student pointed out they enjoyed “working together in breakout rooms.”  Finally, before we wrapped up for the day, Janise gave us a lesson on Pseudocoding. Overall, the first day was a success!

Tuesday: To start off the second day, the students responded to the daily STEM trivia poll. Afterwards, we jumped right into programming lessons with the new Scratch-based EV3 programming software. The students were given examples and questions that they had to figure out for themselves. For many of them, the Pseudocode lesson that they learned Monday helped them to understand what the robot needed to accomplish and convert those instructions to Scratch programming. One of the students said that they “like to do block coding, and Scratch was the easiest way to do it.” Later, Anna introduced the the 2020 research topic and then students split into the 9 breakout rooms with their mentors to brainstorm ideas for the research project. Their mission was to find how and where we can help people be more active. A handful of groups had a project chosen before the end of the day!

Wednesday: As everyone logged on, they were prompted to do the daily STEM trivia poll. Afterwards, we jumped right into learning about the engineering design process and discussing some examples with Justina. Next up was the “Reverse Engineering” project.  With a basic understanding of the design process, we split up into our breakout rooms and began the process of taking apart the toy car. Each student was able to take apart their car down to the point where the gearbox was standing on its own and record their findings on their worksheet.

“I enjoyed the reverse engineering activity in which I disassembled the toy car
and learned what made it work.”
FLL camper

At roughly 3:00 pm, the students transitioned from working on their reverse engineering cars to conducting research for their projects. This lasted until the rest of the day, and many of the students were in the beginning stages of putting the presentation together sharing Google slides and Google docs. 

Thursday: Like every other day, when the campers logged on into Zoom, they were prompted to fill out the daily STEM trivia poll.  Before learning about sensors, the students took part of a recap session in which they discussed the functions of Scratch programming. After reviewing what sensors do what on the EV3, the students had to illustrate a Core Value within their breakout rooms. These students then shared their ideas before transitioning into their research. It was a challenge trying to make sure everyone had access to the documents, but despite this, one student said that their “favorite thing was working together on research.”  By the end of the day, all 9 groups had started their presentations, and had a decent amount of research completed.

Friday: Even though Friday was the last day of camp, the students were still given a daily STEM trivia poll to fill out as they logged in. After the poll, Janise and Vivian taught the campers the fundamentals of loops. Like in previous programming lessons, the students filled out polls designed to assess their progress. Once the purpose and functions of loops were discussed, the campers were split into their breakout room where they finalized their research and presentations. Instead of wrapping up like every other day when the breakout rooms were over, several of the parents joined the call for the presentations. One camper said that they “loved that everyone had their own different solutions,” and another student said that they “learned a lot about the benefits of physical activity and how we can implement it into our daily lives.”  Group presentation slides

When the week came to a close, everyone could reflect and consider it a success. A mentor reflected, “I am so grateful to all the students that joined us, seeing their big smiles and positive attitudes everyday made my week. While the camp being held online was probably not everyone’s first choice, we were very impressed by the students’ ability to adapt to these new circumstances. I hope to be seeing more of everyone whether it’s online or in person again!”

Thank you to our sponsors and supporters: We’d like to thank the parents who made donations towards the costs of materials provided to students in this free program. Thank you to Trader Joe’s for donating re-useable grocery bags for delivery of materials to families and to NCWIT for an Educator Awardee grant to our mentor for curriculum materials. Approximate cost of materials per student was $13. Siblings did the reverse engineering project together.

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