TryEngineering

TryEngineering is an educational site for all things engineering: career information, a database of university programs, lesson plans, and online games. Put together by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a not-for-profit technical professional organization, the site helps students research over 25 engineering fields, such as aerospace, computer, mechanical, and civil engineering, with over a dozen of them explained in detail. Some less common engineering fields, such as ceramic, mining, and petroleum engineering, are also described in brief. Profiles of actual engineers help students understand what work in the field looks like day-to-day. Additionally, the site includes links to many afterschool programs, competitions, maker events, scholarships, internships, and clubs. 

TryEngineering showcases nearly 150 detailed science and engineering lesson plans for students in grades three through 12 that are aligned to educational standards, as well as dozens of engineering-related games. Visitors to the site can narrow down the resources to see those directed toward students, parents, teachers, or guidance counselors.

Using the resources on TryEngineering, students, teachers, parents, and guidance counselors will learn about dozens of engineering careers, and discover which universities have which engineering programs. Visitors to the site will learn about the types of work engineers do, specializations, famous engineers in the field, places to find work, skills that are required, and suggested coursework and activities to support engineering goals. They can research over 3,300 universities around the world, and learn about engineering from experts in those fields.

The lesson plans (almost 150 of them) get students actually doing engineering by involving them in experiments, projects, and design challenges. Though the student sheets could use a visual refresh, students will still learn about the engineering design process along with the ways engineering and science fit together. Using this site carries learning not just into the classroom, but into students' communities as well, helping them find local activities, clubs, internships, and maker events, laying the groundwork for later education and employment. The games section is hit or miss in quality and serves more as a distraction than a place to find robust learning experiences. 

The content is arranged in several different ways, and it's generally easy to find what you're looking for (though the interface isn't particularly engaging, and some links and information are outdated). For a free resource, TryEngineering has a large number of high-quality lesson plans, resources, and planning help for teachers and students from third grade to graduate school.