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

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Easy-to-use data product
Data product
Background information

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Hurricanes

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) portal includes forecasts of upcoming Atlantic and Pacific hurricanes, tropical storms, and other tropical weather, as well as satellite, aerial, and analysis data on past storms, archived reports, and outreach materials.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Background information

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Clouds
Drought
Fires
Weather systems and patterns
Weather observations
Tornadoes
Hurricanes

This glossary contains information on more than 2000 terms, phrases, and abbreviations used by the National Weather Service (NWS). Many of these terms and abbreviations are used by NWS forecasters to communicate between each other and have been in use for many years and before many NWS products were directly available to the public.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Background information
Collection
Data product
Easy-to-use data product
Intermediate data product

Topic

Climate
Changing seasons
Climate data monitoring
Space
Space weather
Weather and atmosphere
Drought
Fires
Hurricanes
Tornadoes
Weather observations
Weather systems and patterns

Special categories

Safety/preparedness

Collection name

National Weather Service

The National Weather Service provides accurate forecasts for not only local and national weather conditions, but forecasts for marine, river, and lake conditions, fire weather, space weather, and much more. You can also find safety information and links to find past weather.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Social studies
Earth science

Resource type

Advanced data product
Data product
Collection

Topic

Freshwater
Climate
Weather and atmosphere
Drought
Rivers
Cryosphere
Fires
Climate data monitoring
Weather systems and patterns
Weather observations
Tornadoes
Hurricanes
El Niño and La Niña

Collection name

National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

A collection of national and international data products from the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). These data products include information on temperature, precipitation, snow and ice, drought, fires, storms, wind, weather patterns and more.

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12
College+

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology
Physical science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Climate
Climate data monitoring
Marine life
Fisheries and seafood
Ocean and coasts
Ocean currents
Technology and engineering
Buoys
Satellites
Weather and atmosphere
Hurricanes

Drifters, buoys, Argo floats and more help scientists monitor the global ocean, including areas that are difficult to travel to via research ship.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Engineering and technology
Earth science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Easy-to-use data product
Data product
Collection

Topic

Technology and engineering
Freshwater
Climate
Weather and atmosphere
Ocean and coasts
Sea level rise
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Climate change impacts
Hurricanes

Collection name

NOAA Digital Coast

Part of the NOAA Office of Coastal Management, the NOAA Digital Coast website is mobile-optimized. This website is focused on helping communities address coastal issues and visualizing coasts and adjacent land. Explore many data resources such as the Sea Level Rise Viewer, the Data Access Viewer, Intro to Lidar, Historical Hurricane Tracks, the Flood Exposure Mapper and much more.

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

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Images
Multimedia

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Weather systems and patterns
Weather observations
Tornadoes
Hurricanes

The official Flickr photo album from the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL).

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Social studies
Engineering and technology
Earth science
Life science

Resource type

Related story
Career profile
Background information

Topic

Technology and engineering
Marine life
Weather and atmosphere
Ocean and coasts
Buoys
Seabirds
Sea turtles
Marine mammals
Hurricanes
Oil spills
Ocean pollution and marine debris

Special categories

Cultural heritage

The NOAA Office of Response and Restoration blog has been active since 2010.

Audience

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

Subject

Engineering and technology
Earth science
Life science

Resource type

Easy-to-use data product
Images
Data product
Multimedia

Topic

Technology and engineering
Marine life
Weather and atmosphere
Ocean and coasts
Ships and planes
Seabirds
Sea turtles
Marine mammals
Hurricanes
Oil spills
Ocean pollution and marine debris

Image gallery of marine emergency response photographs. Some images may be graphic in nature.