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

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Data product

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Weather systems and patterns
Weather observations

This interactive map is organized into views that provide relevant radar products and weather information for a common task or goal. These include: radar station products, national radar mosaic, weather for a location, and hazardous conditions.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Background information

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Tsunamis

Special categories

Safety/preparedness

This module has information on how to be safe before, during, and after a tsunami.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Background information

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Clouds
Weather observations

Special categories

Navajo/Diné
Other languages

This bilingual Navajo/Diné weather poster explains some of the Navajo/Diné terms for weather phenomena.

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

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Engineering and technology
Earth science
Physical science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Data product

Topic

Technology and engineering
Ocean and coasts
Ocean currents

Special categories

Safety/preparedness

The Nearshore Wave Prediction System (NWPS) provides on-demand, high-resolution nearshore wave model guidance to U.S. coastal Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs), triggered in real time by forecast wind grids prepared and submitted by the individual offices. For additional information, visit https://polar.ncep.noaa.gov/nwps/.

Audience

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

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Marine life
Technology and engineering
Ocean pollution and marine debris

Special categories

Region
Pacific Islands region
Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Fix the ocean

In Hawaii, a program turns derelict fishing nets into electricity, providing power while cleaning the ecosystem.

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Ocean acidification
Technology and engineering
Buoys

NOAA and partners have launched a new buoy in Fagatele Bay within NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa to measure the amount of carbon dioxide in the waters around a vibrant tropical coral reef ecosystem.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Tides

Localized data helps economies and infrastructure adapt.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Climate
Weather and atmosphere
Climate data monitoring
Climate change impacts
Weather systems and patterns
Weather observations

The desiccating Four Corners drought, intense heat waves on the Iberian peninsula and in northeast Asia, exceptional precipitation in the Mid-Atlantic states, and record-low sea ice in the Bering Sea were 2018 extreme weather events made more likely by human-caused climate change, according to new research published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (BAMS).

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Ocean floor features

These maps show for the first time the course of ancient ice masses. They show how they shaped essential habitat for the western Gulf of Alaska’s abundant fish, seabirds, and marine mammals.