Launch Day — Who Are We?
By the end of today, you will…
- Know every teammate's name and one fun fact about them
- Name and explain the 6 FIRST Core Values
- Agree on a team name and write your team rules together
- Complete your first engineering challenge — and talk about what happened
Materials for Week 1
- 10 LEGO bricks per team (any type)
- Engineering notebooks — one per student
- 1 large poster board per team + markers
- Chromebooks (for the Core Values matching activity above)
Tower challenge
Your challenge
Your team gets exactly 10 LEGO bricks. Build the tallest freestanding tower you can in 5 minutes. It must stand on its own for 10 seconds to count.
Talk about it after
- What happened when you first got the bricks — did everyone agree on what to do?
- Did anyone want to try something different? What did you do?
- If you had 5 more minutes, what would you change?
Teacher notes ▾
Keep the instructions brief before handing out the bricks — say "build the tallest freestanding tower you can in 5 minutes" and give the team space to work. Let them find their own approach.
While they build, watch: who reaches for bricks first, who steps back, whether anyone shares ideas or gets ignored. You'll draw on this in the debrief.
The debrief is the most valuable part of this section. Connect what happened to teamwork — specifically introduce Gracious Professionalism: "We compete hard, but we treat each other with respect." This phrase will come back all season.
Meet the Core Values
The 6 Core Values
- Discovery — We explore new skills and ideas.
- Innovation — We use creativity and persistence to solve problems.
- Impact — We apply what we learn to improve our world.
- Inclusion — We respect each other and embrace our differences.
- Teamwork — We are stronger when we work together.
- Fun — We enjoy and celebrate what we do!
Activity: Match the Core Value
Click a value on the left, then click its meaning on the right.
Teacher notes ▾
Read each value aloud together before students start the matching game. Ask the class: "Which one do you think will be hardest for your team? Why?" — don't correct their answers, just listen.
Come back to their predictions in Week 4 or 5 and ask if they were right.
Name the team + write your rules
Step 1 — Name the team (10 min)
- Everyone writes down 2 name ideas quietly — no talking yet
- Share ideas round-robin — no reactions until everyone has shared
- Vote silently: each person gives a thumbs-up to up to 3 names
- The name with the most thumbs wins. If it's a tie, combine two names or flip a coin.
Step 2 — Team Agreement (20 min)
On a large piece of paper, finish these sentences together. Everyone must agree before anything gets written down.
- "When someone has an idea, we will…"
- "When something breaks or doesn't work, we will…"
- "If two people disagree, we will…"
- "Our team's one rule that matters most is…"
Everyone signs it. Put it somewhere everyone can see it at every future session.
Teacher notes ▾
Don't write the rules for them. Your only job is to ask "does everyone agree?" before anything gets written down.
If someone is quiet during the discussion, ask them directly: "What do you think about that one?" — every voice should be in the agreement.
Engineering notebook — first entry
Teacher notes ▾
This is not graded — it's a thinking record. Model it by writing in your own notebook alongside them.
Closing circle: After notebooks, go around the room — each student shares one word that describes how they feel about the season ahead. Listen without comment. End with a group high-five.