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

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

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology
Physical science

Resource type

Career profile
Collection

Topic

Climate
Climate data monitoring
Cryosphere
Freshwater
Rivers
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Ocean and coasts
Tsunamis
Space
Space weather
Technology and engineering
Weather and atmosphere
El Niño and La Niña
Fires
Hurricanes
Weather observations
Weather systems and patterns

Collection name

Faces of the National Weather Service

The NWS employs over 4,000 people serving in a variety of careers, including scientific, technical, and administrative positions in offices across the country. Learn more about opportunities with the NWS.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Background information

Topic

Freshwater
Weather and atmosphere
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Weather observations

Flash floods are a worldwide hazard, and are the number one hazardous weather related killer in the United States. They occur when heavy rainfall in a short period of time causes water to rapidly rise. The National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) researchers include hydrologists and hydrometeorologists to address the complicated problem of forecasting and warning for these events. Learn more about their research projects.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Social studies
Earth science

Resource type

Background information

Topic

Freshwater
Weather and atmosphere
Hazards and safety
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Weather systems and patterns

Special categories

Safety/preparedness

Flooding is a coast-to-coast threat to some part of the United States and its territories nearly every day of the year. This site will teach you how to stay safe in a flood event. If you know what to do before, during, and after a flood you can increase your chances of survival and better protect your property.

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.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology
Math
Physical science

Resource type

Data product
Easy-to-use data product

Topic

Climate
Carbon cycle
Changing seasons
Climate change impacts
Climate data monitoring
Freshwater
Water cycle
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Weather and atmosphere
Clouds
Weather observations
Weather systems and patterns

Special categories

Citizen science

Collection name

The GLOBE Program

View interactive maps, numerical data, and graphs and figures collected by teachers and students participating in the GLOBE Program and long-term air temperature and precipitation observations from the Global Historical Climate Network (GHCN). While lessons for data collection and other activities are a part of the GLOBE website, specific lessons for manipulation of this data are not provided at this link.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Social studies
Earth science
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Advanced data product
Data product

Topic

Freshwater
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Great Lakes ecoregion

Special categories

Safety/preparedness

The Great Lakes Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA) is a tool for visualizing environmental contaminant data in the region, as well as information on natural resources, habitats, weather, water levels, and currents. Great Lakes ERMA is used to facilitate pollution response, cleanup, and restoration and is the most comprehensive collection of contaminant data in the region. NOAA’s ERMA is a critical tool for equipping experts to coordinate with partners and natural resource managers, including the Environmental Protection Agency, NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, and State and Tribal partners, across the Great Lakes region.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Social studies
Earth science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Simulation
Data product
Multimedia

Topic

Freshwater
Climate
Ocean and coasts
Sea level rise
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Great Lakes ecoregion
Climate change impacts

Special categories

Safety/preparedness

This web-based tool creates visuals that capture lake level changes that range from six feet above to six feet below historical long-term average water levels in the Great Lakes. Potential shoreline and coastal impacts are also provided through a social vulnerability index and a business layer that shows numbers of employees in coastal areas. This information can be used to think about appropriate preparations, including zoning restrictions, infrastructure improvements, and habitat conservation.

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

Images
Collection
Multimedia

Topic

Technology and engineering
Freshwater
Weather and atmosphere
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Great Lakes ecoregion
Weather systems and patterns

Special categories

Scientists in action

Collection name

Great Lakes photo gallery

This expansive Great Lake photo collection includes a wide variety of photo galleries, including harmful algal blooms, fish, historical images, ice, environmental sampling, shipwrecks, restoration, and more. The collection is curated by the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory.

Audience

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

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Marine life
Freshwater
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Ocean chemistry

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Research

Learn about the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone, where oxygen in the water is so low it can no longer sustain marine life in bottom or near bottom waters – literally a dead zone. This video reports on the size of the Gulf hypoxic zone in 2014.