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.” 

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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

Subject

Life science

Resource type

Video
Collection
Multimedia

Topic

Marine life
Adaptations

NGSS DCI

LS4: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
LS3: Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits

Collection name

Deep-sea dialogues

Bioluminescence, the production of light by living organisms, is an incredible natural phenomenon that occurs in several deep-sea organisms (as well as those on land, although less common). This video interview features PhD candidate Rene Martin, who studies the evolution of deep-sea fishes and the "why" and "how" behind bioluminescence. Video courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration.

Audience

Grade K-2
Grade 3-5

Subject

Life science

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Activity/demonstration

Topic

Marine life
Fish
Life in an estuary

NGSS DCI

LS3: Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits

Special categories

Instructional strategies
Education at home
Hands-on
Informal

In this activity, students build their own fish and describe how it lives in its habitat. Students choose which type of body shape, mouth, and tail will aid in the survival of their fish in their habitat. Students can draw in scales and sensory organs if they choose.

Audience

Grade K-2
Grade 3-5

Subject

Arts
ELA (English Language Arts)
Life science
Math
Social studies

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Module/unit

Topic

Marine life
Marine mammals

NGSS DCI

LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
LS3: Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits
LS4: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

Special categories

Instructional strategies
Hands-on

This curriculum introduces killer whale biology, research, and management through the story of Springer, the young killer whale who was found orphaned in the Puget Sound in 2002. NOAA, the community, and many other agencies in both the United States and Canada worked together to reunite Springer with her pod. Each of the seven lessons in the unit has a slide presentation on background information, hands-on activities, and stewardship information. The book "Springer's Journey" can also be incorporated for grades 2-3. Some of the activities in the younger grade band can also be adapted for preK-1 classes.

Audience

Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Math
Earth science
Life science

Resource type

Module/unit
Lesson plan
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Ocean pollution and marine debris

NGSS DCI

ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
ESS2: Earth’s Systems
LS4: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
LS3: Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

Special categories

Informal
Education at home
Hands-on
Uses data
Instructional strategies

Albatrosses, charismatic and threatened seabirds, are ambassadors for a clean ocean because they traverse vast oceanic regions searching for floating food. Along their journeys, they ingest plastic trash and feed it to their chicks. These five lessons comprise new and modified activities, using inquiry-based science instruction, aligned to standards for grades 6 – 8 with extensions for grades 9 – 12.