Discover E

By: Karrie Harris

An interesting site that I discovered relating to STEM resources and activities is the Discover E website. The site is engineering focused and provides a vast array of resources including games, videos, hands-on activities, lesson plans, and website links. The site provides STEM resources for all ages and grade levels, K-12.

The amount of activities provided is extensive. Some are simple and can be completed cheaply and easily, while others are much more in depth and will require a lot of dedication from students. The site makes it easy for teachers to choose and activity as there is a filter bar on the right of the screen which allows for choice of specifications including grade level, discipline, topic, and time frame You will need to register on the site to gain access to the content. I clicked on several activities that were of interest to me including creating shock absorbers for marshmallow "astronauts" to teach students about the Law of Conservation of Energy, another about making foil boats to see how many pennies can be held to learn about buoyancy, density, and displacement, and finally one for older students which requires the creation of a water purification device which promotes "green" thinking and living.

The activities and lesson plans can be used to accompany the scientific topics to be covered in class, including those related to chemistry, biology, physics, anatomy, geology, and meteorology The website also provides access to training workshops for volunteers and teachers. It gives information about how to successfully introduce children to engineering and how to bring engineering into the classroom, whether it be elementary, middle, or high school the "Discover E" website gives access to various free posters for the classroom to promote engineering as well to various programs. These programs can help to get the teacher and student involved in the engineering community as it includes information on national and local events.

www.discovere.org