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

Webinar

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Marine life
Marine mammals

Special categories

Citizen science

Collection name

Ocean Today

Join Ocean Today for an incredible journey into the ocean, up in the air, and on to the shore to learn how NOAA is helping whales and what you can do.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Oil spills

Fear not! There are ways to reduce your oil consumption without having to trek several miles on foot through blizzard conditions.

Audience

Grade 3-5

Subject

Social studies
Earth science
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Lesson plan
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Freshwater
Ocean and coasts
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Ocean pollution and marine debris

NGSS DCI

ETS1: Engineering Design
PS1: Matter and Its Interactions
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity

Special categories

Informal
Outdoor education
Hands-on
Instructional strategies

Students plan and carry out a survey of human impacts to a local aquatic environment. They analyze their findings and prepare to share them with the community.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Social studies
Earth science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Ocean and coasts
Hurricanes
Ocean pollution and marine debris

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

A hurricane, according to NOAA, is an active low-pressure system that forms over tropical or subtropical waters that rotates at more than 74 miles per hour. They are known for the destruction they cause due to wind, rain, and one particularly dangerous threat, storm surge. In Puerto Rico, we have witnessed the impacts of these storms, the most recent being Hurricanes Irma and María in 2017. These hurricanes were devastating, not only because of the loss of human life and damage to infrastructure, but also the amount of marine debris they left in their wake.

Audience

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

Subject

Engineering and technology
Earth science

Resource type

Simulation
Activity/demonstration
Activities, lessons, and units
Multimedia

Topic

Technology and engineering
Ocean and coasts
Ships and planes
Ocean floor features

Special categories

Informal
Models
Hands-on
Instructional strategies

Hydrographic surveying is a scientific career that many people may not know about. In this activity, a sealed shoe box with a varied topography made out of clay will be measured by taking depth “soundings” with a skewer.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Background information

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Ocean floor features

NGSS DCI

PS1: Matter and Its Interactions
ESS2: Earth’s Systems
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

Collection name

Ocean Exploration educational materials

Hydrothermal vents are the result of sea water percolating down through fissures in the ocean crust near spreading centers or subduction zones. Learn more about vent basics in this fact sheet.

Audience

College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Background information

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Ocean floor features

Questions about hydrothermal vents answered by the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory.

Audience

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

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Marine life
Technology and engineering
Fisheries and seafood
Fish
Salmon

Collection name

Ocean Today

From veggie fish food to underwater cameras, U.S. ocean farming is evolving. Watch to learn some of these sustainable innovations.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Advanced data product
Data product

Topic

Freshwater
Marine life
Climate
Ocean and coasts
Ecosystems
Harmful algal blooms
Sea level rise
Great Lakes ecoregion
Sea turtles
Marine mammals
Fisheries and seafood
Coral reef ecosystems
Climate data monitoring
Climate change impacts
Tsunamis
Tides
Ocean pollution and marine debris
Ocean floor features
Ocean currents
Ocean acidification

Special categories

Region
Pacific Islands region

IOOS is a major data repository that provides data about marine environments, including analyses of historical data, alerts based on current conditions, and forecasts of future conditions based on model predictions. IOOS links to hundreds of data sources operated by regional ocean observing systems across the United States and its territories. There are many datasets available including interactive maps, numerical data, and graphs and figures.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Images
Data product
Infographic
Video
Background information
Collection
Multimedia

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Tsunamis

The UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) coordinates the international tsunami warning and mitigation system. Background information, safety messaging, data, imagery, and more are available at this website.