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
Climate
Technology and engineering
Fisheries and seafood
Invertebrates
Seaweed, algae, and aquatic plants

Collection name

Ocean Today

Meet the ocean farmers who grow delicious food, help clean the ocean, and pull carbon from the environment.

Audience

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

Subject

Arts
Engineering and technology
Life science

Resource type

Activity/demonstration
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Technology and engineering
Marine life
Coral reef ecosystems

Special categories

Informal
3D printable
STEM
Education at home
Models
Hands-on
Instructional strategies

This 3D coral polyp model shows a cross section of a single polyp, including its tentacles, gastrodermis, stomach cavity, and the complex skeletal structure underneath. It is a generic representation and not a replica of any particular species. Each half has interlocking pegs that allow a full polyp to be assembled.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Engineering and technology
Earth science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Technology and engineering
Ocean and coasts
Oil spills

In the decade since the largest oil spill in American history, scientists have advanced lessons learned during the Deepwater Horizon response and assessment to prepare for future oil spill disasters.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Engineering and technology
Earth science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Technology and engineering
Ocean and coasts
Oil spills

As we go back in time to the day of our country’s largest marine oil spill, the Deepwater Horizon in 2010, we learn what’s happened since then, and how we’re better prepared for future spills.

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Climate
Climate data monitoring
Ocean and coasts
Ocean acidification
Technology and engineering
Buoys

NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in partnership with the Marine Research Institute in Iceland deployed the first high-latitude ocean acidification monitoring buoy in the Atlantic Ocean in early August. The moored buoy is the first of its kind to be deployed north of the Arctic circle in a region where very little is known about how carbon dioxide (CO2) is entering the ocean environment.

Audience

Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology

Resource type

Background information

Topic

Space
Space weather
Technology and engineering
Satellites

Space Weather describes the conditions in space that affect Earth and its technological systems. Space Weather is a consequence of the behavior of the Sun, the nature of Earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere, and our location in the solar system.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology
Math
Physical science

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Lesson plan
Collection

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Ocean currents
Technology and engineering
Buoys

NGSS DCI

ESS2: Earth’s Systems

Special categories

Instructional strategies
Hands-on
Informal
Models
Uses data

Collection name

Adopt a Drifter Program

This website hosts a collection of lessons for 5th - 9th grades about the Adopt a Drifter Program, drifter buoys, and data collection. There are additional lessons for high school and undergraduate classes on buoys, data, ocean currents, and more.

Audience

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

Resource type

Career profile
Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Marine life
Technology and engineering
Maritime archaeology and history
Ocean exploration
Satellites
ROVs, AUVs, and drones

Special categories

Cultural heritage

Collection name

Ocean Today

This twelve minute short film travels around the world and back in time, revealing history not found in books. Join renowned maritime archaeologist Jim Delgado on his epic journey.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Engineering and technology
Earth science
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Career profile

Topic

NOAA careers
Technology and engineering
Freshwater
Great Lakes ecoregion

Learn more about Great Lakes biologist Dave Faslow. Read this Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory interview with Dave to learn more about the lab's fluoroprobe, along with a decades-old scientific mystery that still haunts him and a fear he had to overcome on the job.

Audience

Grade K-2
Grade 3-5
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science
Life science

Resource type

Coloring/activity book

Topic

Marine life
Fish
Invertebrates
Ocean and coasts
Ocean exploration
Technology and engineering
Ships and planes

Special categories

Printable

This coloring book from NOAA Ocean Exploration and several partners inspires everyone to learn about and appreciate the ocean. Download individual coloring sheets or the whole book and visit the links to learn more about each featured animal.