NOAA Sea to Sky: Education resource database

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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.”

 

Audience

Grade 3-5
Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science
ELA (English Language Arts)
Engineering and technology
Life science
Math
Physical science

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Lesson plan
Module/unit
Collection

Topic

Climate
Carbon cycle
Climate change impacts
Freshwater
Water cycle
Marine life
Coral reef ecosystems
Life in an estuary
Ocean and coasts
Ocean acidification
Weather and atmosphere
El Niño and La Niña

NGSS DCI

ESS2: Earth’s Systems
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
PS1: Matter and Its Interactions

Special categories

Instructional strategies
Hands-on
Informal
Inquiry
Models
Uses data

Collection name

Data in the Classroom

Data in the Classroom has structured, student-directed lesson plans that use historical and real-time NOAA data. The five modules address research questions and include stepped levels of engagement with complex inquiry investigations with real-time and past data.

Audience

Grade 3-5
Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Lesson plan
Module/unit

Topic

Climate
Climate change
Climate data monitoring
Cryosphere
Freshwater
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Ocean chemistry
Ocean currents
Ocean pollution and marine debris
Weather and atmosphere
Hurricanes
Weather observations

NGSS DCI

ESS2: Earth’s Systems
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
ETS1: Engineering Design
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
PS1: Matter and Its Interactions

Special categories

Grantee resource
Instructional strategies
Hands-on
Outdoor education
Uses data

Collection name

B-WET grantee

This collection of six separate lessons includes tutorial videos for each themed lesson, except ecological field modeling.

  1. Density dynamics: Experiment by creating four model bodies of water and observe how they compare. 
  2. Ecological field monitoring: Get into the field and investigate the ecosystems in your local community using field equipment.
  3. Glaciers: Investigate how topography came to be through glacial activity 33,000 years ago. Use geologic and physical tests to uncover the evidence left behind by the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Track and hunt down the path laid by ice giants of the past.  
  4. Marine debris & microplastics: Discover how marine debris impacts the environment as you experiment with buoyancy and design a model ocean with circular currents.
  5. Watersheds: Explore how we impact our water systems and the watersheds that sustain our population. Create a model coastal community and observe how pollutants travel within a watershed
  6. Weather & climate: Explore the differences between weather and climate, look at real-time NOAA weather and climate data, experiment with sea level rise, and create coastal resiliency models.

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 3-5
Grade K-2

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Activity/demonstration
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Freshwater
Water cycle

Special categories

Informal
Hands-on
Instructional strategies

See the relative volume of water available that is clean, safe, and available to drink.

Audience

Grade 3-5

Subject

Arts
Social studies
ELA (English Language Arts)
Math
Earth science
Life science

Resource type

Module/unit
Activity/demonstration
Lesson plan
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Freshwater
Marine life
Rivers
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Fisheries and seafood
Aquatic food webs
Salmon

NGSS DCI

ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

Special categories

Informal
Printable
Cultural heritage
Outdoor education
Models
Hands-on
Other languages
Spanish

An Incredible Journey is filled with 10 hands-on lesson plans that explore the salmon life cycle; the cultural, environmental, and economic importance of salmon; the major issues facing salmon today; and how individuals can get involved to protect these iconic species.

Audience

Grade K-2
Grade 3-5
Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science
ELA (English Language Arts)
Engineering and technology
Life science
Physical science
Social studies

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Activity/demonstration
Collection
Multimedia
Video

Topic

Freshwater
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Marine life
Aquatic food webs
Conservation
Ecosystems

Special categories

Grantee resource
Instructional strategies
Education at home
Hands-on
Informal
Models
Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

At Home with Galveston Bay
B-WET grantee

“At Home With The Bay” is a virtual series of engaging environmental education lessons taught by Galveston Bay Foundation staff. Lessons include a lab, conservation craft, talk with a Bay biologist and an activity of the week. Each lesson comes with an accompanying activity guide available for download on the website.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology
Life science
Math
Physical science

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Activity/demonstration
Lesson plan
Collection
Multimedia
Game/online activity
Simulation

Topic

Climate
Carbon cycle
Changing seasons
Climate change impacts
Climate data monitoring
Cryosphere
Freshwater
Rivers
Water cycle
Ocean and coasts
Earth processes
Ocean acidification
Ocean currents
Ocean floor features
Ocean pollution and marine debris
Oil spills
Sea level rise
Tides
Space
Space weather
Weather and atmosphere
Clouds
Drought
El Niño and La Niña
Fires
Hurricanes
Tornadoes
Weather observations
Weather systems and patterns

Special categories

Citizen science
Instructional strategies
Education at home
Hands-on
Informal
Inquiry
Models
Outdoor education
Project-based
Uses data

Collection name

CLEAN climate and energy education resource collection

Accurate education about climate and energy topics has never been more important, and it can be challenging to locate reliable, vetted educational materials to use in your classroom. CLEAN is here to help you find the resources that you need, without wondering about their scientific credibility or educational value. Search for resources by NGSS Performance Expectations (PE) and Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI), grade level, keyword or resource type, or use CLEAN to design your own unit.

Audience

Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8
Grade 3-5
Grade K-2

Subject

Arts
Social studies
ELA (English Language Arts)
Math
Engineering and technology
Earth science
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Animation
Background information
Collection
Activity/demonstration
Lesson plan
Activities, lessons, and units
Multimedia

Topic

Marine life
Climate
Ocean and coasts
Ecosystems
Freshwater
Life in an estuary
Aquatic food webs
Climate data monitoring
Climate change impacts
Ocean pollution and marine debris
Ocean acidification

Special categories

Informal
Project-based
Outdoor education
Education at home
Models
Hands-on
Uses data
Instructional strategies

Collection name

Estuary Education website

Why teach about estuaries? This suite of estuary education resources help educators bring estuarine science into the classroom through hands-on learning, experiments, fieldwork, and data explorations. These specially designed lessons, activities, data explorations, animations and videos can be used independently or as a supplement to existing curricula and can be adapted to meet any grade level.

Audience

Grade 3-5
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Lesson plan

Topic

Climate
Climate data monitoring
Freshwater
Rivers
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Ocean and coasts

NGSS DCI

ESS3: Earth and Human Activity

Special categories

Instructional strategies
Hands-on

Collection name

Teacher at Sea

Students will analyze and graph three marine water samples from South Florida, compare/contrast the results, draw inferences about the impact of freshwater on marine ecosystems, and improve the design of the experiment.

Audience

Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8
Grade 3-5

Subject

Life science

Resource type

Activity/demonstration
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Freshwater
Marine life
Invasive species
Fish
Great Lakes ecoregion

Special categories

Informal
Printable
Education at home
Hands-on
Instructional strategies

Working with a set of illustrated Great Lakes fish cards, students identify distinguishing characteristics of fish and use a dichotomous key to identify 10 common fish families.

Audience

Grade K-2
Grade 3-5
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science
Life science

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Activity/demonstration
Multimedia
Simulation
Video

Topic

Freshwater
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Ocean and coasts
Ocean pollution and marine debris

Special categories

Grantee resource
Instructional strategies
Education at home
Hands-on
Informal
Models
Outdoor education

Collection name

B-WET grantee

An interactive water pollution simulation as seen thru the experiences of “Fred the Fish” as he travels downstream encountering obstacles along the way. Students will learn about human impacts on aquatic ecosystems and discuss how to be better watershed stewards. Find additional supporting materials for the Fred the Fish video under "Classroom Activities" on this page offsite link.