WELCOME!! Contact Info Ms. Lydia Headley – PfISD GT Specialist – District DI Representative Ms. Gayle Chin – CES teacher – DI Board Member

What is DI? The DI Experience Instant Challenge!!! Tall Tower – Your TASK is to build a free- standing structure as tall as possible.

ABOUT US WHO WE ARE Student teams solve open-ended Challenges and present their solutions at tournaments Teams learn important life skills like time management, collaboration, conflict resolution, and creative and critical thinking Imagine the Possibilities

OUR IMPACT WHO WE ARE 200,000 participants annually 1.5 million alumni 38,000 volunteers worldwide 48 States & 30 countries

Up to 7 members can be on a team Students from kindergarten through university level participate Each team needs an adult Team Manager – Team Managers help students stay on track but do not directly help the team develop their solution to the DI Challenge! WHO PROGRAM OVERVIEW

There are seven Challenges to choose from each year – Technical, Scientific, Fine Arts, Improvisational, Structural and Service Learning – Early Learning Challenge known as Rising Stars WHAT PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Each season takes place from September through May Depending on the Challenge, teams typically spend 2 to 4 months developing and practicing their Challenge solutions WHEN PROGRAM OVERVIEW

WHERE The team’s solutions are assessed at regional, state or national tournaments Every year, local volunteers help run 200+ tournaments around the world PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Teams learn – higher order thinking skills – critical thinking and collaborative problem solving DI participants – experience the creative process – develop new friendships – learn to work together WHY PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Teams choose one of seven Challenges After weeks spent creating and developing their solutions, they go to a tournament Top-scoring teams advance, and the top tier goes to the Global Finals tournament—the world’s largest celebration of creativity 15,000+ attend Global Finals HOW PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Includes school districts located in the counties of: Lampasas Burnet Williamson Travis Hays Caldwell Bastrop CAPITAL REGION AREA SCHOOLS Lee Bell Coryell McLennan Falls Limestone Fayette Lavaca

372 Teams participated in the 2015 Regional Tournament held in Pflugerville, TX, largest region in Texas! 48 Teams advanced to the State Tournament held in Dallas, TX 21 Capital Region teams advanced to Globals in Knoxville, TN Over 3000 teams competed at tournaments across the state At Globals, 9 of our teams finished in the top ten, 16 teams placed in the top 25 and no teams placed below 34 th. We had a first place team, a 2 nd place team and 1 team with the highest Instant Challenge score! *In Texas, DI is HUGE!! CAPITAL REGION

Technical: Pace of Change Scientific: In Plain Sight Structural: Musical Mashup Fine Arts: Get a Clue Improvisational: Close Encounters Service Learning: The Meme Event Early Learning: Change in Direction CHALLENGE PREVIEWS

The world is full of changes, both big and small. So grab the wheel – let’s see them all! Design and build a vehicle able to carry at least one team member across the presentation site multiple times. Change the vehicle propulsion system and the vehicle movement method during the presentation. Create and present a story about change. The story will include a change in a character. A: TECHNICAL TEAM CHALLENGES

Now you see me, now you don’t! But wait…what’s the twist?? Research the many ways that camouflage is used by organisms in nature. Showcase camouflage research in the visible appearance of an organism. Create and present a story with a plot twist that is caused by the use of camouflage. Apply camouflage methods to an original, team- designed and created set piece or prop.. B: SCIENCE TEAM CHALLENGES

Hold it together and let it play out in this musical mashup. Design and build a structure that both supports weight and is a musical instrument. Play a musical solo using the structure as a musical instrument. Tell a story with at least one musical character. Integrate the story with the weight placement testing of the structure. E: STRUCTURAL TEAM CHALLENGES

Whodunnit? Reach back in time to get a clue! Present a mystery story set on Earth in a team- chosen time period before Discover, live on stage, which of the three suspect characters is responsible for the mystery. Include a TechniClue that helps solve the mystery. Present in the style of traverse staging. C: FINE ARTS TEAM CHALLENGES

Newsflash! Stranger things WILL happen! Research Challenge-provided confined spaces. Create and perform a four-minute improvisational presentation within a confined space. Show how characters work together to address a news flash. Integrate a mysterious stranger and a team-created miscellaneous prop into the presentation. D: IMPROVISATIONAL TEAM CHALLENGES

Grumpy cat will be even grumpier when you out-MEME him! Use the creative process to identify, design, plan, and carry out a project that addresses a real community need. Plan and carry out at least one community event that is designed to help meet the project goal(s). Create an effective meme to help meet the project goal(s). Create a live presentation that highlights the project and the impact it made on the community. SERVICE LEARNING TEAM CHALLENGES

North, south, east, or west. Hmm…which way is best? Learn about maps and how they are helpful to people. Create a play that is about a journey your team is on. Make a change in direction at some point during your play. Make a map to help your team on your journey. EARLY LEARNING TEAM CHALLENGES

At a tournament, a team will receive an Instant Challenge and the materials with which to solve it The team members must think on their feet to produce a solution in a period of just five to eight minutes. Instant Challenges are performance-based, task- based, or a combination of the two. Instant Challenges are kept confidential until the day of the tournament. AT THE TOURNAMENT INSTANT CHALLENGES

At the tournament, teams will solve two types of Challenges: Team Challenges and Instant Challenges Teams will perform their Challenge solutions to a group of Appraisers. Appraisers are local volunteers who have been trained to assess the Challenges. Instant Challenges require teams to engage in quick, creative and critical thinking. APPRAISING AT THE TOURNAMENT

Stage 1 – 2-4 weeks: Team building; Understand the Challenge Stage 2 – 2-4 weeks: Generate Ideas; Conduct research Stage 3 – 2-4 weeks: Put it all together Stage 4 – 2-4 weeks: Prepare for tournament Program Season TIMELINE

Team Managers – Facilitate Destination Imagination teams; often a parent or a community member Assistant Team Managers – Assist with organizing team; help with instant challenges Appraisers – Serve on a panel with other appraisers at tournament watching teams present and awarding points for solutions What Can I Do? VOLUNTEER ROLES

Trainings for beginning, advanced and Rising Stars managers will be held on the following dates: – October 3, 8:30-12:30, at Naumann Elementary in Cedar Park – October 18, 1:15-5:15, at West Ridge Middle School in Austin – November 8, 1:15-5:15, at Dessau Middle School, PfISD * Training is optional, but extremely helpful! Managers need to attend only one session! Team Managers TRAINING

Program materials available: – September 1, 2015 Deadline to register teams for regional tournament: – December 7, 2015 Deadline to order t-shirts for tournament: – January 11, 2016 Late registration deadline: – January 11, 2016 IMPORTANT DATES

March 5, 2016 Vista Ridge High School, Leander, TX TOURNAMENT 2016

Talk with your DI campus contact to get started Obtain a team membership ID number; PfISD is furnishing each elementary campus with two or more team memberships Go to the DI website to login and download program materials using the membership ID Meet with team members and agree on practice times/locations Start practicing!! How Do I Get Started?

National Destination ImagiNation website: – Capital Region website: – Helpful Information RESOURCES