NOAA Sea to Sky: Education resource database

⚠️ This page recently underwent an update. If you had bookmarked direct links to search results from this page prior to March 18, 2024, those links may no longer work and you may need to make a new bookmark. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us at education@noaa.gov.

Welcome to our searchable database of education resources created by NOAA and our partners. If you have issues or feedback, please let us know by filling out our feedback form offsite link or sending us an email at education@noaa.gov.

Tips for using the database

Searching for terms that contain more than one word.

Use quotation marks around multiple-word phrases you want to search. For example, searching “climate change” will return resources about “climate change.” If you don’t include quotation marks, it will return resources that include either the word “climate” or “change.” 

Opening resources in a new tab.

 Follow the instructions below for the device you are using.

  • PC: Hold down the control (ctrl) key while clicking the link. Or, right-click the link and select “open in new tab.”
  • Mac: Hold down the command key while clicking the link.
  • iPhone or iPad: Press and hold the link. Select “open in new tab” from the pop-up menu.
  • Android device: Press and hold the link. Select “open in new tab” from the pop-up menu

Expanding categories.

Each category has a plus sign (+) to expand the available filters within the category. Some categories have subcategories. Look for the plus sign (+) to see more filterable items.

Making the most of the filterable categories.

There are several categories you can use to filter through the resources. 

  • “Audience” filters by grade level, including postsecondary education, and also has a filter option for adult learners.
  • “Subject” filters by the general subject area, such as Arts, Earth science, Math, and more.
  • “Resource Type” filters allow you to look for resources ranging from activities, lessons, and units to videos or background information.
  • “Topic” filters are more specific than subject. They include filters such as climate, freshwater, and weather and atmosphere.
  • “NGSS DCI” filters by Next Generation Science Standards Disciplinary Core Ideas. Only activities, lessons, and units (and no other resource types) have NGSS DCI associated with them. Not all activities, lessons, and units have this alignment.
  • “Special categories” offers additional filters for specific types of resources and topics, such as printables, resources available in other languages, and safety/preparedness.

Exploring activities, lessons, and units.

Activities, lessons, and units are bundled together under resource type. You can expand to filter for only one type. Activity/demonstration refers to straightforward activities with little or no classroom strategy or pedagogy. Lesson refers to structured activities that are intended for a classroom audience. Module/unit refers to a collection of lessons that can build upon each other over multiple class periods or times of instruction; some people might call this a curriculum. 

Understanding instructional strategies.

Within special categories, there is an expandable filter called “instructional strategies.” This includes special filters that are applicable for some lessons, activities, and units, including things like “outdoor education” and “uses data.”

 

No results match your search.

Audience

Grade K-2
Grade 3-5
Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Activity/demonstration
Data product
Easy-to-use data product

Topic

Climate
Climate change
Climate change impacts
Ocean and coasts
Technology and engineering
Mapping and charting
Weather and atmosphere
El Niño and La Niña
Hurricanes

Special categories

Instructional strategies
Education at home
Informal
Uses data
Printable

A spherical projection is the best way to view Earth data, simply because Earth is a sphere! When you attempt to make a map of the world flat, certain locations become distorted, appearing bigger or smaller than they actually are. This hands-on activity allows you to explore the idea of Earth data and the difficulty associated with flat maps, and to enjoy the process of making a little globe. Several of Science On a Sphere’s most popular and important datasets are available for printing.

Audience

Grade 3-5
Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology

Resource type

Collection
Data product
Easy-to-use data product

Topic

Climate
Climate data monitoring
Ocean and coasts
Ocean pollution and marine debris
Oil spills
Space
Auroras
Technology and engineering
GPS and geodesy
Weather and atmosphere
Fires
Hazards and safety
Hurricanes
Weather observations

Special categories

Citizen science

These "tiny tutorials" are designed to break the ice and get you started. These simple animations walk you through our data visualizations step by step. From there, each data portal offers many variables and dimensions to explore. So roll up your sleeves, fire up your browser or phone, and start exploring the ocean and atmosphere. Explore tiny tutorials on auroras, historical climate, magnetic fields, environmental response, fire weather, and hurricane data products from NOAA.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Data product

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Hurricanes

Explore the May and August seasonal outlooks for the Atlantic hurricane seasons.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8
Grade 3-5
Grade K-2

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Easy-to-use data product
Data product

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Hurricanes

Special categories

Printable

Printable hurricane tracking charts for the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific regions.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Engineering and technology
Earth science
Physical science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Data product

Topic

Technology and engineering
Freshwater
Weather and atmosphere
Ocean and coasts
Sea level rise
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Weather systems and patterns
Weather observations
Hurricanes
Tides
Ocean currents
Rivers
Harmful algal blooms

Explore real-time coastal observations, forecasts, and warnings in an interactive map tool.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Images
Data product
Background information
Multimedia

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Hurricanes

Special categories

Citizen science

The Cyclone Center project was launched in September 2012 with the goal of studying global tropical cyclones in order to better understand and predict their behavior. The project ran for seven successful years on the Zooniverse platform, during which 18,000 users contributed 1 million image classifications. Explore the archives of this hurricane citizen science project.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Data product

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Hurricanes

Explore the May seasonal outlooks for the Eastern Pacific hurricane seasons.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Engineering and technology
Earth science

Resource type

Easy-to-use data product
Images
Data product
Multimedia

Topic

Technology and engineering
Weather and atmosphere
Satellites
Weather observations
Tornadoes
Hurricanes

Satellite images from some hurricanes and tornadoes, and limited other weather disasters like flooding and Nor'easters.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science
Life science

Resource type

Advanced data product
Data product

Topic

Technology and engineering
Marine life
Weather and atmosphere
Ocean and coasts
Buoys
Ships and planes
Sea turtles
Marine mammals
Weather systems and patterns
Weather observations
Hurricanes
Oil spills

The Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA®) is an online mapping tool that integrates both static and real-time data, such as Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) maps, ship locations, weather, and ocean currents, in a centralized, easy-to-use format for environmental responders and natural resource decision makers. Get started with a tiny tutorial at: https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/data/tiny-tutorials/erma

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Data product

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Fires
Weather systems and patterns
Weather observations
Tornadoes
Hurricanes

This forecast data product from the National Weather Service provides an interactive map, which can be customized to feature data on temperature, precipitation, hazard, humidity, wind, cloud cover, snow and ice, fire, wave, tornado, hurricane, and more. Once users select a chosen region and data type, they can generate a bookmarkable URL, so they can return to the same forecast at later dates.