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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Lesson plan

Topic

Marine life
Ecosystems
Ocean and coasts
Ocean exploration
Ocean floor features

NGSS DCI

ESS2: Earth’s Systems

Special categories

Instructional strategies
Hands-on
Models
Uses data
Printable

Seamounts represent some of Earth’s tallest peaks, unexplored territories, and critical habitats supporting important fisheries across the globe. Students will apply the phenomenon of upwelling and currents to determine why many seamounts sustain diverse ecological communities and support surprising levels of biological productivity in nearby waters. Students analyze data and various models to evaluate how well they represent patterns of ocean currents around seamounts and determine the effects these current flows have on productivity.

Audience

Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Lesson plan

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Ocean exploration
Ocean floor features

NGSS DCI

ESS1: Earth’s Place in the Universe
ESS2: Earth’s Systems

Special categories

Instructional strategies
Hands-on
Informal
Inquiry
Uses data
Printable

Volcanoes may either never be active enough to break the surface of the ocean or be sufficiently active to break the surface and form an island. The island may also be so heavy that it eventually sinks and forms a seamount. Thousands of these seamounts have been discovered and studied worldwide to help provide evidence of past and current tectonic processes. In this investigation, students analyze Hawaiian and Alaskan seamount/island chain maps and data tables, plus a demonstration to develop an explanation to the phenomenon: How do seamounts and island chains form in the middle of the ocean?

Audience

Grade K-2
Grade 3-5

Subject

Life science

Resource type

Coloring/activity book

Topic

Marine life
Ecosystems
Fish
Invertebrates
Life in an estuary

Special categories

Printable

Enjoy this short coloring book from the North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve. 

Audience

Grade K-2
Grade 3-5
Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Activity/demonstration
Lesson plan
Background information
Collection
Coloring/activity book
Multimedia
Video

Topic

Marine life
Aquatic food webs
Ecosystems
Fish
Invertebrates
Life in an estuary
Seaweed, algae, and aquatic plants
Ocean and coasts
Ocean currents

Explore this collections of lessons, activities, videos, coloring pages, and field guides from the North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve on life in that estuary.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology
Life science
Physical science
Social studies

Resource type

Background information
Collection

Topic

Climate
Marine life
Fish
Fisheries and seafood
Invertebrates
Seaweed, algae, and aquatic plants
Ocean and coasts
Earth processes
Ocean chemistry
Ocean exploration
Ocean floor features
Technology and engineering
Ships and planes

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

Follow along with NOAA Teachers at Sea as they participate in NOAA research voyages. Teachers and educators spend several weeks on a NOAA Ship and are part of the research crew while on board! Past blogs go back to 2003. Some blog posts are in Spanish.

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Background information
Collection

Topic

Freshwater
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Marine life
Coral reef ecosystems
Life in an estuary
Ocean and coasts
Ocean currents
Tides
Technology and engineering
GPS and geodesy

Dive into tutorials on corals, estuaries, global positioning, pollution, ocean currents, and tides. Learn the basics about these topics and how they are a part of NOAA's work.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology
Life science

Resource type

Multimedia
Video

Topic

Marine life
Adaptations
Coral reef ecosystems
Ecosystems
Fish
Invertebrates
Seaweed, algae, and aquatic plants
Sharks, rays, and skates
Ocean and coasts
Earth processes
Ocean chemistry
Ocean exploration

Follow along with the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer as its crew study deep sea ecosystems and animals. During live stream periods, you can listen along as scientists comment on what they are seeing and identify animals and deep sea features in real time. 

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Marine life
Life in an estuary
Weather and atmosphere
Weather observations

At the Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve, a new community of students is getting their boots wet gathering data through a new program that serves the children of migrant farmers.

Audience

Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science
Life science

Resource type

Career profile

Topic

Climate
Carbon cycle
Climate change
Climate change impacts
Marine life
Coral reef ecosystems
Ecosystems
Life in an estuary
Seaweed, algae, and aquatic plants
Ocean and coasts
Earth processes

Read an interview with Ariane Arias-Ortiz, a 2019-2021 NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellow at University of California Berkeley’s Biometeorology Lab. Ariane studies carbon storage in coastal saltwater and freshwater wetlands. Her work holds significant, immediate implications for reducing global carbon emissions through wetlands restoration. 

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Social studies
Earth science
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Career profile

Topic

Marine life
Weather and atmosphere
Ocean and coasts
Ocean exploration
Fisheries and seafood
Weather systems and patterns
Ocean currents

Six NOAA employees were recognized at the annual 2019 Women of Color in STEM conference. These awards recognize significant achievement in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).