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

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Marine life
Invertebrates
Ocean pollution and marine debris
Life in an estuary

Collection name

Ocean Today

Imagine eating your way to a healthier Bay! Nationwide shell recycling programs and oyster lovers are helping to restore wild oyster reefs.

Audience

Grade K-2

Subject

Life science

Resource type

Collection

Topic

Marine life
Ocean and coasts
Ocean exploration
Sharks, rays, and skates
Fish
Ecosystems
Invertebrates
Marine mammals

Special categories

Region
Alaska region

Collection name

NOAA and the Octonauts podcast

Welcome to "NOAA and the Octonauts," an episode-by-episode discussion of the children’s TV show the Octonauts, which features a crew of quirky and courageous undersea adventurers. Their mission: to explore the world’s ocean, rescue the creatures who live there, and protect their habitats. Our monthly podcast brings together experts from inside and outside of NOAA to help you and the children you care about learn more about the real-life versions of the Octonauts sea creatures and the ocean they call home.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology
Physical science
Social studies

Resource type

Career profile
Collection
Multimedia
Video

Topic

Climate
Climate change impacts
Climate data monitoring
Marine life
Fisheries and seafood
NOAA careers
Ocean and coasts
Ocean chemistry
Ocean sounds
Space
Space weather
Technology and engineering
Weather and atmosphere
Weather observations

Collection name

NOAA Boulder Labs: Meet our team

Learn about the different types of career paths that are available at the NOAA Boulder campus. Many NOAA employees are scientists, but there are also administrative staff, tech workers, science communicators, and more!

Audience

Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Activity/demonstration
Collection

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Tsunamis
Space
Space weather
Weather and atmosphere
Weather observations
Weather systems and patterns

Special categories

Instructional strategies
Hands-on
Informal
Models
Uses data

Collection name

NOAA Boulder Virtual 8th Grade Science Days

From studying the ocean to solar flares, NOAA has researchers in a wide range of scientific topics. Put on your scientist hat and take your time to look around at the videos and activities we have prepared for you to see what it would be like to be one of our scientists in these various fields!

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12
College+

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology
Physical science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Climate
Climate data monitoring
Marine life
Fisheries and seafood
Ocean and coasts
Ocean currents
Technology and engineering
Buoys
Satellites
Weather and atmosphere
Hurricanes

Drifters, buoys, Argo floats and more help scientists monitor the global ocean, including areas that are difficult to travel to via research ship.

Audience

Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology

Resource type

Career profile
Job seeker resource

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Technology and engineering
Ships and planes
Weather and atmosphere

Collection name

NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps

Learn about the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps). NOAA Corps officers serve on the sea, on land, and in the air to support NOAA's environmental science and stewardship mission.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Engineering and technology
Earth science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Easy-to-use data product
Data product
Collection

Topic

Technology and engineering
Freshwater
Climate
Weather and atmosphere
Ocean and coasts
Sea level rise
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Climate change impacts
Hurricanes

Collection name

NOAA Digital Coast

Part of the NOAA Office of Coastal Management, the NOAA Digital Coast website is mobile-optimized. This website is focused on helping communities address coastal issues and visualizing coasts and adjacent land. Explore many data resources such as the Sea Level Rise Viewer, the Data Access Viewer, Intro to Lidar, Historical Hurricane Tracks, the Flood Exposure Mapper and much more.

Audience

Grade K-2
Grade 3-5
Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science
Life science

Resource type

Multimedia
Video

Topic

Marine life
Entanglement
Sea turtles
Ocean and coasts
Ocean pollution and marine debris

Pair this uplifting video depicting NOAA divers disentangling a green sea turtle from a derelict net with lessons on marine debris impacts to help share some of the positive outcomes that can arise from marine debris removal and prevention.

Audience

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

Subject

Engineering and technology
Earth science
Life science

Resource type

Video
Collection
Multimedia

Topic

Technology and engineering
Marine life
Ocean and coasts
Salmon
Sharks, rays, and skates
Ecosystems
Invertebrates
Sea turtles
Marine mammals
Fisheries and seafood
Coral reef ecosystems
Oil spills

Collection name

NOAA Fisheries YouTube

Dive into dozens of videos from NOAA Fisheries, on topics from the deep ocean to the shores, including marine mammals, fish, sea turtles, sharks, new technologies, and more.

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science
Physical science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Climate
Climate change impacts
Climate data monitoring
Ocean and coasts
Ocean acidification

Four new research projects are giving a boost to NOAA’s ability to measure, track and forecast ocean acidification, warming and other important ocean health indicators. NOAA Research’s Ocean Observing and Monitoring Division has awarded $3 million in funding for projects that will expand the ability of the global Argo Program to measure ocean chemistry.