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
College+
Adults

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Marine life
Technology and engineering
Marine mammals
Ships and planes

Special categories

Citizen science

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Fix the ocean

Whales face threats from ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear. YOU can help! All it takes is a smartphone.

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12

Subject

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

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Lesson plan
Module/unit
Background information

Topic

Freshwater
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Marine life
Aquatic food webs
Entanglement
Invasive marine species
Marine mammals
Sea turtles
Seabirds
NOAA careers
Ocean and coasts
Ocean currents
Ocean pollution and marine debris
Weather and atmosphere
Hazards and safety
Hurricanes
Weather observations
Weather systems and patterns

NGSS DCI

ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
ETS1: Engineering Design

Special categories

Citizen science
Instructional strategies
Education at home
Hands-on
Models
Outdoor education
Scientists in action

Collection name

NOAA Marine Debris Program

Marine debris is a pervasive, global problem and one that is felt locally in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). Through a NOAA Marine Debris Program prevention grant, the University of the Virgin Islands(link is external) adapted and revised marine debris lessons for USVI, including Oregon Marine Debris STEAMSS, Turning the Tide on Trash, and Talking Trash and Taking Action. The curriculum was co-created with the input of educators from USVI who participated in workshops and provided input following in-class use. The curriculum also includes 15 spotlights, which highlight USVI-specific marine debris research, local researchers, community-led prevention efforts, and natural disaster impacts from marine debris.

Audience

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

Subject

Humanities/liberal arts
Engineering and technology
Life science

Resource type

Video

Topic

Marine life
Ocean and coasts
Salmon
Ecosystems
Marine mammals
Aquatic food webs
Ocean pollution and marine debris

Learn what scientists have discovered studying the endangered Southern Resident killer whales. See the science behind recovering this charismatic creature, from collecting their poop to tracking them using satellite tags.

Audience

College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Social studies
Humanities/liberal arts

Resource type

Background information

Topic

Marine life
Marine mammals

Congress passed the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972 in response to increasing concerns among scientists and the public that significant declines in some species of marine mammals were caused by human activities. The MMPA established a national policy to prevent marine mammal species and population stocks from declining beyond the point where they ceased to be significant functioning elements of the ecosystems of which they are a part. This was the first legislation to mandate an ecosystem-based approach to marine resource management.

Audience

Grade K-2

Subject

ELA (English Language Arts)
Life science

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Lesson plan

Topic

Marine life
Marine mammals

NGSS DCI

LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

Collection name

Teacher at Sea

Students will choose a whale to research. They will research their whale and then work with a partner who has researched a different whale to compare and contrast the whales using a Venn diagram. After completing the Venn diagram, students will create an informational poster using their research. Students will share their work with peers from another class.

Audience

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

Subject

Life science

Resource type

Webinar
Multimedia

Topic

Marine life
Fish
Ecosystems
Invertebrates
Marine mammals
Aquatic food webs

Collection name

National Marine Sanctuaries Webinar Series: Archived webinars

Male and female northern elephant seals exhibit dramatic differences in size, shape and behavior. My research compares the feeding behavior of male and female seals to understand how the sexes use marine resources throughout the North Pacific Ocean.

Audience

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

Subject

Social studies
Engineering and technology
Earth science
Life science

Resource type

Job seeker resource
Career profile
Collection

Topic

NOAA careers
Technology and engineering
Marine life
Ocean and coasts
Ships and planes
Ocean exploration
Sharks, rays, and skates
Fish
Ecosystems
Invertebrates
Sea turtles
Marine mammals
Ocean floor features

Collection name

Marine Careers: A Sea Grant guide to ocean opportunities

Explore a wide range of marine career fields and hear from the people working in those fields. This website, hosted by Sea Grant, gives people a chance to say what they like and dislike about their careers, what they see for the future in their fields, and much more.

Audience

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

Subject

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

Resource type

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

Topic

Marine life
Ocean and coasts
Invasive marine species
Entanglement
Seabirds
Marine mammals
Tsunamis
Ocean pollution and marine debris
Ocean currents

NGSS DCI

ETS1: Engineering Design
PS1: Matter and Its Interactions
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
ESS2: Earth’s Systems
LS4: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

Special categories

Informal
Citizen science
Outdoor education
Models
Hands-on
Uses data
Instructional strategies

Collection name

Marine Debris STEAMSS

Marine Debris is a complex, real-world problem which can be addressed through the lenses of several different academic subjects. This curriculum integrates the subject areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math, and Social Studies (STEAMSS), and focuses on experiential hands-on lessons and activities for students in grades 4 through 12.

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Life science
Math
Social studies

Resource type

Data product
Advanced data product

Topic

Marine life
Aquatic food webs
Conservation
Ecosystems
Fisheries and seafood
Marine mammals

Assessing marine mammal stocks gives us valuable information on population trends, productivity rates, estimates of human-caused mortality and other sources of serious injury, and more. These assessments allow us to evaluate the effectiveness of conservation and recovery measures, and to adjust management approaches as needed.

Audience

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

Subject

Social studies
Life science

Resource type

Background information

Topic

Marine life
Marine mammals

Field guides and background information on cetaceans, pinnipeds, and fissipeds.