Write It Do It B/C

[Jim_R]

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[silverheart7]

What are the major differences between Division B & C Write it Do it? As far as I can tell, the rules are similar, so is it the complexity of the model?

[zyzzyva980]

Pretty much. The competition will be stiffer, too. But the rules should remain the same.

[Gemma W]

To be honest there are probably bigger differences between regions/competitions than between divisions, but C is usually more complex. You're (hopefully) not going to see a lot of Legos or K'nex at C level, but then again who knows you might.

[NoL617]

Does anyone have any tips on practicing? Any good ways to do it? Thanks!

[GoofyFoofer]

Yeah, by practicing with your WI/DI buddy!
*ahem*

[hscmom]

Actually that's the best answer - practice. Here are a couple of hints:

1) Use the same format each time. Each write up should look about the same.
2) In addition to practicing writing and building, take time to do a "post mortem" and find out what went wrong. Look at each thing different between the model and the build and then look at the instructions to see where things went wrong.
3) Also, make sure that you are on the same page with measurements. If I call this an inch: ----------------- and you call this an inch: ------- then any part of the build that had a distance or size in inches could really be off. One exercise I've done coaching is to have them "put two dots on a page 4 inches apart" or "draw a line that is 30 degrees from the line you just drew." It's a good "warm up" before practice.
4) Swap roles once or twice, as this gives the partner a little time to figure out what the other role is like. A writer who has built a few things will know better how to write. A builder who tries to write a time or two will see that it's a real challenge!

[NoL617]

What abbreviations do writers like to use? What abbreviations help doers?
I like only abbreviating colors like B for blue, Y for yellow, R for red, BK for black, G for green etc. That way my partner doesn't get confused from all of the different abbreviations.

[hscmom]

What abbreviations do writers like to use? What abbreviations help doers?
I like only abbreviating colors like B for blue, Y for yellow, R for red, BK for black, G for green etc. That way my partner doesn't get confused from all of the different abbreviations.

I've coached this for a few years and have observed the following. OK, they are rather obvious but sometimes the obvious needs to be stated. I've seen students make these mistakes.

1) Don't bother making an abbreviations that you'll not use at least twice more.
2) Don't make your doer have to keep flipping back a few pages to remember that a is YSASWBTFOTC a yellow speckled arch shaped wood block that fits over the cylinder. Just call it an arch instead.
3) Measurements are good candidates for abbreviations.

You get the idea!

[hscmom]

And as you practice, hopefully the doer will indicate which abbreviations were easy to remember as he built and which ones were confusing. Each WIDI pair will be different. What works for this team won't for that team. That's why it's hard to give general hints for this event.

Except, of course, practice!