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

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

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

Resource type

Simulation
Activity/demonstration
Lesson plan
Activities, lessons, and units
Multimedia

Topic

Marine life
Fisheries and seafood

NGSS DCI

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

Special categories

Informal
Printable
Models
Hands-on
Instructional strategies

Through role-playing, teamwork, and a little fate, this activity provides students with an opportunity to get an "insider's" view of what it takes to be an active stakeholder in a commercial fishery. Whether a boat owner, dockside buyer, processing plant owner, distributor, or retail seafood store operator, each student will get a deeper sense of the complex factors that determine the viability of a commercial fishery. Students will learn to understand the real costs that contribute to eventual market value, as well as experience some of the unanticipated gains or losses that can occur at any stage along the way.

Audience

Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Arts
Social studies

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Activity/demonstration

Topic

Marine life
Fisheries and seafood
Technology and engineering
Ships and planes

Special categories

Instructional strategies
Education at home
Hands-on

Learn how to make a decorative wreath with repurposed rope from crabbing, rigging, manila, or rock-climbing rope or any other rope you may have lying around!

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

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

ELA (English Language Arts)
Math
Earth science
Life science

Resource type

Simulation
Activity/demonstration
Lesson plan
Activities, lessons, and units
Multimedia

Topic

Marine life
Life in an estuary
Fisheries and seafood

NGSS DCI

LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

Special categories

Informal
Printable
Models
Hands-on
Instructional strategies

In this activity, students will take part in a simulated fishery, harvesting California market squid that are common in Monterey Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Because of their quick response time to environmental conditions, market squid provide an interesting example of ecosystem-based management at work. Student groups will role-play in a simulated fishing community, making decisions while also facing a range of natural and human-made challenges. Students will attempt the challenging task of maintaining a balance that sustains both the squid population and the squid fishery, which relies on that population and then analyze the results of their decisions.

Audience

Grade 6-8

Subject

Life science

Resource type

Game/online activity
Activity/demonstration
Activities, lessons, and units
Multimedia

Topic

Marine life
Ecosystems
Fisheries and seafood

Special categories

Informal
Hands-on
Instructional strategies

Students will understand the importance of the diversity of life in the Atlantic Ocean. Students will discover facts about the different aquatic organisms and their existence in the marine ecosystem.

Audience

Adults
College+
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

Coloring/activity book
Collection
Activity/demonstration
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Marine life
Weather and atmosphere
Ocean and coasts
Clouds
Earth processes
Fish
Ecosystems
Fisheries and seafood
Coral reef ecosystems
Weather systems and patterns
Weather observations
Tornadoes
Hurricanes
El Niño and La Niña
Tsunamis
Tides
Oil spills
Ocean pollution and marine debris
Ocean floor features
Ocean currents

Special categories

Informal
Inquiry
Project-based
Safety/preparedness
Outdoor education
Education at home
Models
Hands-on
Instructional strategies

An activity book for educators and students

Audience

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

Subject

Life science

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Activity/demonstration

Topic

Marine life
Fisheries and seafood

Special categories

Instructional strategies
Hands-on
Informal
Models

In this activity, students will learn how to use sampling to estimate the size of a fish population.

Audience

Grade 6-8

Subject

ELA (English Language Arts)
Earth science
Life science

Resource type

Lesson plan
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Marine life
Fisheries and seafood
Aquatic food webs

NGSS DCI

LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

Special categories

Informal
Hands-on
Instructional strategies

By the end of the interactive lesson, the students will be able to explain why overfishing has occurred in our ocean and describe the effects of overfishing on fish stocks.

Audience

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

Subject

Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Activity/demonstration
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Marine life
Weather and atmosphere
Ocean and coasts
Fisheries and seafood
Weather systems and patterns
Weather observations
Tides
Ocean pollution and marine debris
Ocean floor features

Special categories

Informal
Models
Hands-on
Instructional strategies

Learn some lessons in physics and chemistry from your favorite winter drinks.

Audience

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

Subject

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

Resource type

Collection
Lesson plan
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Marine life
Invertebrates
Fisheries and seafood

NGSS DCI

ETS1: Engineering Design
LS4: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

Special categories

Inquiry
Education at home
Models
Hands-on
Instructional strategies

Collection name

Oysters in the Chesapeake Bay modules

The elementary portion of the Oysters on the Chesapeake Bay learning sequence consists of six lessons; one for each grade in Kindergarten through 5th. Each lesson targets an important area in the study of oysters: individually, as part of an ecosystem, and in oyster restoration. While not directly building on each other, the lessons incorporate age-appropriate skills used in previous lessons and build new skills. Kindergarteners begin by learning about pollution in water, and in subsequent years build knowledge about oyster shells, oyster reefs, and oyster internal anatomy. By fifth grade, students consolidate their learning, examine other perspectives, and demonstrate their mastery of ecological principles. They investigate and communicate conflicting interests in oyster harvest and restoration and learn how science can be helpful in navigating the complexity of biological and sociological interactions.