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.”

 

No results match your search.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology
Life science
Physical science
Social studies

Resource type

Background information
Collection

Topic

Climate
Marine life
Fish
Fisheries and seafood
Invertebrates
Seaweed, algae, and aquatic plants
Ocean and coasts
Earth processes
Ocean chemistry
Ocean exploration
Ocean floor features
Technology and engineering
Ships and planes

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

Follow along with NOAA Teachers at Sea as they participate in NOAA research voyages. Teachers and educators spend several weeks on a NOAA Ship and are part of the research crew while on board! Past blogs go back to 2003. Some blog posts are in Spanish.

Audience

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

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Technology and engineering
Maritime archaeology and history
Ocean floor features
Ocean exploration

Special categories

Cultural heritage
Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Exploration

Off the coast of North Carolina, researchers discover sunken ships from World War II.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Marine life
Coral reef ecosystems
Ocean floor features
Ecosystems

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Marine life

Celebrate the ocean with some amazing facts about the ocean!

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Marine life
Ocean floor features
Ocean exploration

Special categories

Region
Pacific Islands region
Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Exploration

Scientists believe that 80 percent of the volcanic eruptions on Earth take place in the ocean. In May of 2009, scientists captured the deepest ocean eruption ever found.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Ocean floor features
Sea level rise

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Research

How well do you know the ocean? Check out these amazing ocean facts!

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
Ocean floor features

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Marine life

Fool's gold, or iron pyrite, acts as a fertilizer for life in the deep sea.

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

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Marine life
Climate
Technology and engineering
Coral reef ecosystems
Ocean floor features
Mapping and charting

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Fix the ocean

Over the past few decades the marine environment of Buck Island Reef has been significantly threatened by a warming ocean, along with disease, hurricanes, and overfishing, among other stressors. NOAA and the National Park Service are creating a geo-referenced coral reef base map to better understand coral reef dynamics and processes.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Ocean floor features
Ocean exploration
Ecosystems
Ocean currents

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Exploration

Did you know that in certain places on the seafloor, like in the Gulf of Mexico, there are underwater lakes and rivers?