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

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology

Resource type

Data product
Easy-to-use data product
Multimedia
Mobile app

Topic

Climate
Climate data monitoring
Technology and engineering
Buoys
Satellites
Weather and atmosphere
Clouds
Weather observations
Weather systems and patterns

Special categories

Instructional strategies
Education at home
Hands-on
Models
Outdoor education
Safety/preparedness

Collection name

Science On a Sphere catalog

SOS Explorer® (SOSx) is a flat screen version of the widely popular Science On a Sphere® (SOS). The revolutionary software takes SOS datasets, usually only seen on a 6-foot sphere in large museum spaces, and makes them more accessible. The visualizations show information provided by satellites, ground observations and computer models.

Audience

Grade 6-8

Subject

Math
Engineering and technology
Physical science

Resource type

Activity/demonstration
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Technology and engineering
Ocean and coasts
Buoys
Ocean currents

NGSS DCI

ETS1: Engineering Design

Special categories

Informal
Outdoor education
Hands-on
Instructional strategies

In this activity, students engineer drifter buoys to demonstrate how trash found in inland waterways can move through the watershed and become marine debris. More lessons from this STREAMSS curriculum for 4th through 12th grade can be found in an offsite link.

Audience

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

Subject

ELA (English Language Arts)
Humanities/liberal arts
Engineering and technology
Earth science
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Related story
Career profile
Images
Multimedia

Topic

Technology and engineering
Freshwater
Marine life
Climate
Salmon
Fish
Ecosystems
Rivers
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Life in an estuary
Climate data monitoring
Climate change impacts
Carbon cycle

Special categories

Outdoor education
Hands-on
Instructional strategies

To celebrate National Estuaries Week, September 15-22, 2018, we featured the stories of NOAA Hollings Undergraduate Scholars who got their feet wet interning at five different National Estuarine Research Reserves around the United States in summer 2018.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Math
Engineering and technology
Physical science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Data product

Topic

Technology and engineering
Freshwater
Ocean and coasts
Sea level rise
Tides
Ocean currents

Special categories

Outdoor education
Models
Instructional strategies

Explore future tide predictions across U.S. states and Puerto Rico.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Social studies
Life science

Resource type

Citizen science project
Mobile app
Multimedia

Topic

Technology and engineering
Marine life
Ships and planes
Marine mammals
Fisheries and seafood

Special categories

Citizen science
Outdoor education
Instructional strategies

Busy shipping lanes that coincide with whale feeding areas, breeding regions, and migratory routes present an immense ship strike threat to whales. With the free Whale Alert app, mariners and members of the public are provided with a user-friendly tool directly on their mobile device that displays whale "safety zones." The app also allows the user to report any live, dead, or distressed whale sightings to the appropriate response agency; thus making this app an important tool for reducing ship strike threat to all whale species.