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.” 

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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

Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

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

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Tsunamis

Special categories

Informal
Instructional strategies

These materials help those with a role in the public tsunami warning system better understand tsunami science and increase their communication skills.

Audience

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

Subject

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

Resource type

Coloring/activity book
Collection
Activity/demonstration
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Marine life
Weather and atmosphere
Ocean and coasts
Clouds
Earth processes
Fish
Ecosystems
Fisheries and seafood
Coral reef ecosystems
Weather systems and patterns
Weather observations
Tornadoes
Hurricanes
El Niño and La Niña
Tsunamis
Tides
Oil spills
Ocean pollution and marine debris
Ocean floor features
Ocean currents

Special categories

Informal
Inquiry
Project-based
Safety/preparedness
Outdoor education
Education at home
Models
Hands-on
Instructional strategies

An activity book for educators and students

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

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Activity/demonstration
Collection

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Tsunamis
Space
Space weather
Weather and atmosphere
Weather observations
Weather systems and patterns

Special categories

Instructional strategies
Hands-on
Informal
Models
Uses data

Collection name

NOAA Boulder Virtual 8th Grade Science Days

From studying the ocean to solar flares, NOAA has researchers in a wide range of scientific topics. Put on your scientist hat and take your time to look around at the videos and activities we have prepared for you to see what it would be like to be one of our scientists in these various fields!

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Activity/demonstration
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Tsunamis

Special categories

Informal
Printable
Hands-on
Instructional strategies

This globe of the Earth shows the locations of historical tsunami sources extracted from NCEI’s Global Historical Tsunami Database (ngdc.noaa.gov/hazard). A tsunami is a series of traveling waves of extremely long length and period, usually generated by disturbances associated with earthquakes occurring below or near the ocean floor. Volcanic eruptions, submarine landslides, and coastal rockfalls can also generate tsunamis, as can a large meteorite impacting the ocean. The underlying color shaded-relief image was generated from NCEI’s ETOPO1 “Ice Surface” (ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/global).

Audience

College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science
Physical science

Resource type

Lesson plan
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Tsunamis

Special categories

Informal
Uses data
Instructional strategies

In this lesson, students will predict how long it will take a tsunami to reach the shore using tsunami time travel maps,.