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

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Marine life
Invertebrates

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Marine life

Learn about the Sea Cucumber, one weird animal.

Audience

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

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Ecosystems

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Fix the ocean

Wetlands are among the richest and most diverse places on earth, home to thousands of fish, mammals, and birds. They also help protect people from floods and storms. In some areas, wetlands are disappearing, but scientists are finding that protection and restoration are making a difference.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Social studies
Life science

Resource type

Citizen science project
Mobile app
Multimedia

Topic

Technology and engineering
Marine life
Ships and planes
Marine mammals
Fisheries and seafood

Special categories

Citizen science
Outdoor education
Instructional strategies

Busy shipping lanes that coincide with whale feeding areas, breeding regions, and migratory routes present an immense ship strike threat to whales. With the free Whale Alert app, mariners and members of the public are provided with a user-friendly tool directly on their mobile device that displays whale "safety zones." The app also allows the user to report any live, dead, or distressed whale sightings to the appropriate response agency; thus making this app an important tool for reducing ship strike threat to all whale species.

Audience

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

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Marine life
Technology and engineering
Marine mammals
Ocean sounds
Endangered species

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Research

Using hydrophones, scientists captured underwater sounds of the North Atlantic right whale, helping to locate the whales in hard to reach locations and providing an opportunity to better protect them.

Audience

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

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Marine life
Technology and engineering
Marine mammals
Endangered species
Entanglement
Ocean pollution and marine debris

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Fix the ocean

When reports of stranded whales come in, heroes from the Atlantic Large Whale Disentanglement Network come to the rescue, as shown in this amazing footage.

Audience

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

Resource type

Video

Topic

Marine life
Conservation
Marine mammals
Ocean and coasts

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Marine life

Whale watching may not seem intrusive, but it can actually disrupt whale feeding, nursing, mating and migrating behaviors, and can cause unintended injuries to both whale and whale watcher. NOAA and Whale and Dolphin Conservation developed Whale SENSE; an educational awareness program dedicated to responsible whale watching.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Video
Multimedia

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Weather observations
Clouds

Special categories

Outdoor education
Instructional strategies

Collection name

SciJinks

A video from NOAA SciJinks about clouds. All clouds are made up of basically the same thing: water droplets or ice crystals that float in the sky. But all clouds look a little bit different from one another, and sometimes these differences can help us predict a change in the weather.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Podcast
Multimedia

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Tides

Collection name

Diving Deeper podcast

The Diving Deeper podcast talks with National Ocean Service scientist Steve Gill about tides.

Audience

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

Resource type

Video

Topic

Climate
Climate change impacts
Marine life
Coral reef ecosystems
Conservation
Endangered species
Fisheries and seafood
Seaweed, algae, and aquatic plants
Ocean and coasts

Collection name

Ocean Today

Learn about some of the bold and brilliant ideas researchers and conservationists have to rescue corals and coral reefs from disaster.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Video
Background information
Multimedia

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Tides

Special categories

Education at home
Instructional strategies

Collection name

SciJinks

A video from NOAA SciJinks about tides.