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.

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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
Grade 3-5
Grade K-2

Subject

Social studies
Life science

Resource type

Background information
Collection

Topic

Freshwater
Marine life
Salmon
Sharks, rays, and skates
Seabirds
Fish
Invertebrates
Sea turtles
Marine mammals
Fisheries and seafood

Collection name

NOAA Fisheries: Find a species

Find facts about the species NOAA Fisheries manages in this directory. Learn more about their biology and population status, where they live, the threats they face, and how we are conserving and studying each species.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Career profile
Collection
Multimedia
Webinar

Topic

Climate
Carbon cycle
Cryosphere
Freshwater
Rivers
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Marine life
Aquatic food webs
Coral reef ecosystems
Ecosystems
Fish
Fisheries and seafood
Invasive marine species
Invertebrates
Life in an estuary
Marine mammals
Plankton
Salmon
Sea turtles
Seabirds
Seaweed, algae, and aquatic plants
Sharks, rays, and skates
Ocean and coasts
Harmful algal blooms
Maritime archaeology and history
Ocean acidification
Ocean exploration
Ocean floor features
Ocean pollution and marine debris
Oil spills
Tsunamis
Space
Space weather
Technology and engineering
Buoys
ROVs, AUVs, and drones
Satellites
Ships and planes
Weather and atmosphere
Drought
Fires
Hazards and safety
Hurricanes
Weather observations
Weather systems and patterns

Special categories

Cultural heritage
Other languages
American Sign Language
Spanish

Collection name

NOAA Live! 4 Kids

This webinar series was developed by NOAA's Regional Collaboration Network and Woods Hole Sea Grant at WHOI in response to the COVID school closures. With over 100 webinars featuring different NOAA experts/topics and a moderated question and answers session throughout so that students could get a peek at what our NOAA scientists do in all the various NOAA offices. They range in geography, content, and NOAA line office focus but are all designed to engage the students, answer their questions, and give them a glimpse of possible career options. Captions are available in English and Spanish. Many have ASL interpretation.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Social studies
Engineering and technology
Earth science
Life science

Resource type

Related story
Career profile
Background information

Topic

Technology and engineering
Marine life
Weather and atmosphere
Ocean and coasts
Buoys
Seabirds
Sea turtles
Marine mammals
Hurricanes
Oil spills
Ocean pollution and marine debris

Special categories

Cultural heritage

The NOAA Office of Response and Restoration blog has been active since 2010.

Audience

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

Subject

Engineering and technology
Earth science
Life science

Resource type

Easy-to-use data product
Images
Data product
Multimedia

Topic

Technology and engineering
Marine life
Weather and atmosphere
Ocean and coasts
Ships and planes
Seabirds
Sea turtles
Marine mammals
Hurricanes
Oil spills
Ocean pollution and marine debris

Image gallery of marine emergency response photographs. Some images may be graphic in nature.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Social studies
Earth science
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Background information
Collection

Topic

Technology and engineering
Marine life
Climate
Weather and atmosphere
Ocean and coasts
Resiliency and mitigation
Ocean exploration
Maritime archaeology and history
Rip currents
Sharks, rays, and skates
Seabirds
Fish
ROVs, AUVs, and drones
Ecosystems
Harmful algal blooms
Invertebrates
Sea turtles
Marine mammals
Life in an estuary
Fisheries and seafood
Coral reef ecosystems
Aquatic food webs
Climate data monitoring
Climate change impacts
Hurricanes
El Niño and La Niña
Tsunamis
Tides
Oil spills
Ocean pollution and marine debris
Ocean floor features
Ocean currents
Ocean acidification

Collection name

Ocean facts

Get answers to hundreds of questions about the ocean and coasts on topics like ocean life and ecosystems, maritime transportation, technology, ocean observations and much more.

Audience

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

Subject

Life science

Resource type

Video
Multimedia

Topic

Marine life
Sea turtles

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Marine life

Did you know that sea turtles have been living on planet Earth since the time of the dinosaurs? - around 110 million years. There are seven different species of sea turtles, six of which -- green, hawksbill, Kemp's ridley, leatherback, loggerhead, and the olive ridley can be found throughout the ocean - in both warm and cool waters. The seventh species, the flatback, lives only in Australia.

Audience

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

Subject

Engineering and technology
Earth science
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Video
Collection
Multimedia

Topic

Technology and engineering
Freshwater
Marine life
Climate
Weather and atmosphere
Ocean and coasts
Buoys
Satellites
ROVs, AUVs, and drones
Harmful algal blooms
Cryosphere
Sea level rise
Water cycle
Sea turtles
Marine mammals
Coral reef ecosystems
Climate data monitoring
Climate change impacts
Carbon cycle
El Niño and La Niña
Ocean pollution and marine debris
Ocean floor features
Ocean acidification

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Research

Questions and answers about how we study the ocean and what we've learned. Topics include harmful algal blooms in the Gulf of Mexico, climate recaps, climate change, ocean exploration, Arctic sea ice, and more

Audience

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

Subject

Life science
Social studies

Resource type

Multimedia
Video

Topic

Marine life
Conservation
Entanglement
Sea turtles

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Fix the ocean

When fishers put out their trawl nets in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic, sea turtles often end up trapped in the nets unintentionally. If the turtles cannot escape, they will drown. This is a major threat to marine turtles and it is known as bycatch.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science
Life science

Resource type

Webinar
Video
Multimedia

Topic

Marine life
Ocean and coasts
Sea turtles
Ocean pollution and marine debris
Ocean currents

Special categories

Citizen science

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Trash talk

This Regional Emmy award-winning series helps students understand the impact of marine debris and what we can do about it! Series includes a Hands-on Activity Demo and Special Feature.

Audience

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

Subject

Arts
Humanities/liberal arts
Life science
Social studies

Resource type

Collection
Multimedia
Simulation
Video

Topic

Freshwater
Great Lakes ecoregion
Marine life
Aquatic food webs
Coral reef ecosystems
Ecosystems
Fish
Invertebrates
Marine mammals
Sea turtles
Ocean and coasts

Special categories

Virtual reality/VR

Collection name

Sanctuaries 360 virtual dives

Dive in without getting wet! Your National Marine Sanctuary System protects a network of underwater parks encompassing more than 600,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes waters, and now you can visit these amazing places in the blink of an eye. From the thriving kelp forests of Channel Islands to the treasured coral reefs of the Florida Keys, few places on the planet can compete with the wonders of the National Marine Sanctuary System. Come along as we experience these underwater treasures through eight virtual reality videos. Check out the Next Generation Science Standard lesson plans that complement the VR videos to go deeper.