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 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

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

Resource type

Module/unit
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Weather systems and patterns
El Niño and La Niña

NGSS DCI

ESS2: Earth’s Systems
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

Special categories

Inquiry
Models
Uses data
Instructional strategies

Collection name

Data in the Classroom

People blame El Niño for all kinds of abnormal weather. One of the ways to detect an El Niño event is to look at sea surface temperature. By observing sea surface temperature through graphs and maps, you can track the growth of plant life and even begin to predict future El Niño events. Interested in engaging your students with real-time NOAA data? In this module, designed for 6-12th grade classrooms, students evaluate changes in sea surface temperature over space and time and investigate how El Niño affects phytoplankton & species distribution in the eastern Pacific Ocean. There are many ways to integrate some or all of the lessons in this module into your course.

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

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Climate
Weather and atmosphere
Climate data monitoring
Weather systems and patterns
El Niño and La Niña

His name is Atlantic Niño, and he has an uncanny resemblance to his big brother: Like El Niño, Atlantic Niño is characterized by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the eastern equatorial basin and weaker-than-average trade winds throughout the east-central equatorial Atlantic.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Social studies
Earth science

Resource type

Video
Multimedia

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
El Niño and La Niña

International Research Institute scientist Walter Baethgen gives an overview of El Niño's potential impacts on global food production.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Climate
Weather and atmosphere
Climate data monitoring
Tornadoes
El Niño and La Niña

In 2017, the U.S. severe weather season jumped out to a fast start with above-average numbers of tornado, hail and wind reports. (Check out NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center for severe weather reports and summaries.) Most of the tornadoes reported were in the southern U.S., relatively close to the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, but several tornadoes touched down unusually far north for this time of year, including 2 EF-1 tornadoes in Massachusetts on Feb 25, 2017 and 3 EF-1 tornadoes in Minnesota on March 6, 2017.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Weather and atmosphere
Climate
El Niño and La Niña
Weather systems and patterns

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Research

Learn the difference between El Niño and La Niña and how they influence weather around the world.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Social studies
Earth science
Life science

Resource type

Background information

Topic

Marine life
Climate
Weather and atmosphere
Drought
Fish
Marine mammals
Weather systems and patterns
Hurricanes
El Niño and La Niña

Comprehensive list of recent and historical El Niño / La Niña impacts.

Audience

Grade 9-12

Subject

Physical science

Resource type

Lesson plan
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
El Niño and La Niña

Special categories

Models
Uses data
Instructional strategies

Collection name

NOAA Enrichment in Marine Sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) curriculum

This lesson from NOAA's NOAA Enrichment in Marine Sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) Curriculum applies the information students have already learned about oceanic-atmospheric interactions to explain and explore the El Niño phenomenon. The lecture describes the physical mechanisms behind El Niño and explains how scientists determine whether an El Niño event is occurring. In the activity, students then interpret real NOAA data to decide whether they think 2009-2010 was an El Niño year.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Math
Earth science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Data product

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
El Niño and La Niña

Monthly seasonal updates on sea surface temperature going back to 1950.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Data product

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Weather systems and patterns
El Niño and La Niña

The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) produces maps of the United States that show probability of precipitation and temperature being above or below normal based on data from previous El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events.