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

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Video
Multimedia

Topic

Climate
Weather and atmosphere
Changing seasons
Weather systems and patterns

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

¿Cuál es la diferencia entre clima y tiempo? Este breve video ayuda a explicar la diferencia.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science
Physical science

Resource type

Easy-to-use data product
Data product

Topic

Climate
Climate data monitoring
Changing seasons

Explore climate data for the US on a weekly, monthly, 3-month, or 12-month view.

Audience

College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

ELA (English Language Arts)
Earth science

Resource type

Module/unit
Activity/demonstration
Lesson plan
Activities, lessons, and units
Multimedia

Topic

Climate
Changing seasons
Carbon cycle

NGSS DCI

ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
ESS2: Earth’s Systems

Special categories

Informal
Models
Hands-on
Uses data

Collection name

EarthLabs

The unit teaches students to interpret climate data to recognize the symptoms and evaluate the severity of drought. It helps them realize that drought can still devastate areas that have stable infrastructure and access to expensive technologies. The unit raises awareness of the need to be prepared to face drought conditions that may become more common as our planet warms.

Audience

Grade K-2
Grade 3-5

Subject

Life science

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Climate
Freshwater
Water cycle
Climate change impacts
Changing seasons
Carbon cycle
Weather systems and patterns

Collection name

The GLOBE Program

Students learn about Earth systems through science-based fictional story books and accompanying lesson plans. The seven books in this series cover air quality, climate, clouds, Earth system, seasons, soil, and water.

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science
Life science

Resource type

Background information
Data product
Easy-to-use data product

Topic

Climate
Changing seasons

As we head further into the Northern Hemisphere’s spring, many people across the country are ready to put winter — and its cold and snow — behind them. But, even the spring months can have their cold spells. So, when can we expect the cold to really be on its way out? The “Day of the Last Spring Freeze” map, which is based on climatology, can help answer that question for your area.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology
Math
Physical science

Resource type

Data product
Easy-to-use data product

Topic

Climate
Carbon cycle
Changing seasons
Climate change impacts
Climate data monitoring
Freshwater
Water cycle
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Weather and atmosphere
Clouds
Weather observations
Weather systems and patterns

Special categories

Citizen science

Collection name

The GLOBE Program

View interactive maps, numerical data, and graphs and figures collected by teachers and students participating in the GLOBE Program and long-term air temperature and precipitation observations from the Global Historical Climate Network (GHCN). While lessons for data collection and other activities are a part of the GLOBE website, specific lessons for manipulation of this data are not provided at this link.

Audience

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

Subject

Social studies
Earth science

Resource type

Background information

Topic

Climate
Weather and atmosphere
Changing seasons
Weather observations

Special categories

Printable
Safety/preparedness
Other languages
Spanish

Heat is one of the leading weather-related killers in the United States, resulting in hundreds of fatalities each year. Everyone can be vulnerable to heat, but some more so than others. This resource is designed to prepare you for excessive heat events, describe what to do during a an excessive heat wave, and inform you about the health dangers of heat.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Climate
Climate data monitoring
Changing seasons

Special categories

Printable

Few real-world signs of climate change are easier to read than changes in the growing season of familiar vegetation. From lilacs — which are flowering earlier — to allergy-causing ragweed, which is producing pollen longer into the fall, vegetation is reacting to Earth’s rising surface temperature.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science
Physical science

Resource type

Easy-to-use data product
Images
Data product
Multimedia

Topic

Climate
Climate data monitoring
Climate change impacts
Changing seasons

Select an image type, region, year, and week to browse archived images.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Background information

Topic

Climate
Changing seasons

Special categories

Printable

You may have noticed that meteorologists and climatologists define seasons differently from “regular” or astronomical spring, summer, fall, and winter. So, why do meteorological and astronomical seasons begin and end on different dates? In short, it’s because the astronomical seasons are based on the position of Earth in relation to the sun, whereas the meteorological seasons are based on the annual temperature cycle.