NOAA Sea to Sky: Education resource database

⚠️ This page recently underwent an update. If you had bookmarked direct links to search results from this page prior to March 18, 2024, those links may no longer work and you may need to make a new bookmark. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us at education@noaa.gov.

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

Career profile
Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Maritime archaeology and history
Ocean exploration

Special categories

Cultural heritage
Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Exploration

Hear from maritime archaeologist Jim Delgado on what he's seen during his career and how it connects him with people from history.

Audience

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

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Marine life
Maritime archaeology and history
Ocean exploration
Ecosystems

Special categories

Cultural heritage
Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Exploration

Maritime archaeologist Jim Delgado explains the importance of preserving shipwrecks.

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

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Marine life
Technology and engineering
Coral reef ecosystems
Ocean exploration

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Research

Most drugs come from flowers and plants on land, but the ocean, with its amazing biodiversity, offers many more organisms for scientist to discover and develop new medicines.

Audience

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

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Technology and engineering
Ocean exploration
ROVs, AUVs, and drones
Ocean floor features

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Exploration

Learn about NOAA’s Okeanos Explorer ship and how the technology onboard helps shape the future of ocean exploration.

Audience

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

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Marine life
Technology and engineering
Ships and planes
Ocean exploration
Invertebrates
Fish
Fisheries and seafood
Plankton
Aquatic food webs
Marine mammals
Seabirds
Maritime archaeology and history
ROVs, AUVs, and drones

Collection name

Ocean Today

The world's largest underwater migration takes place twice a day in the ocean's mesopelagic zone. Watch to see some of the extraordinary life that dwells there, and learn more about this fascinating part of the ocean.

Audience

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

Subject

Social studies
Earth science
Life science

Resource type

Poster/brochure

Topic

Freshwater
Marine life
Ocean and coasts
Ocean exploration
Maritime archaeology and history
Sharks, rays, and skates
Fish
Invertebrates
Great Lakes ecoregion
Sea turtles
Marine mammals

Special categories

Printable
Cultural heritage

As a part of the 50th anniversary of the 1972 National Marine Sanctuary Act, the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries released posters capturing the beauty and diversity of your National Marine Sanctuary System.

Audience

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

Resource type

Video

Topic

Marine life
Invertebrates
Ocean and coasts
Ocean exploration

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Marine life

In the deep ocean, there’s a species of crab that eats trees! Scientists have identified this crustacean as Munidopsis andamanica.

Audience

Grade K-2

Subject

Life science

Resource type

Collection

Topic

Marine life
Ocean and coasts
Ocean exploration
Sharks, rays, and skates
Fish
Ecosystems
Invertebrates
Marine mammals

Special categories

Region
Alaska region

Collection name

NOAA and the Octonauts podcast

Welcome to "NOAA and the Octonauts," an episode-by-episode discussion of the children’s TV show the Octonauts, which features a crew of quirky and courageous undersea adventurers. Their mission: to explore the world’s ocean, rescue the creatures who live there, and protect their habitats. Our monthly podcast brings together experts from inside and outside of NOAA to help you and the children you care about learn more about the real-life versions of the Octonauts sea creatures and the ocean they call home.

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.