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
Climate
Marine mammals
Climate change impacts

Special categories

Region
Alaska region
Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Marine life

Researchers from NOAA's National Marine Mammal Lab track migrating northern fur seals to understand where they feed in winter months and what marine resources they depend on for survival.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Video

Topic

Freshwater
Ocean and coasts
Weather and atmosphere

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Research

Learn about Earth's water cycle, how water continuously moves from the ground to the atmosphere and back again.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Math
Earth science

Resource type

Easy-to-use data product
Data product

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Tides

Find tide data by state, station name, ID, or latitude/longitude.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Easy-to-use data product
Data product

Topic

Climate
Ocean and coasts
Sea level rise
Climate change impacts

Explore real-time tide, weather, and current observations from an interactive station map. Find high and low tide values, graphs of measurements over time, and modeled predictions by clicking on a station.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Math
Earth science

Resource type

Easy-to-use data product
Data product

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Tides

Use this interactive map to to access your local water levels, tide and current predictions, and other oceanographic and meteorological conditions.

Audience

College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Background information

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Tides

Special categories

Education at home
Instructional strategies

The Tides and Waters Levels Tutorial is an overview of the complex systems that govern the movement of tides and water levels.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Background information

Topic

Technology and engineering
Marine life
Weather and atmosphere
Ocean and coasts
Buoys
Sea turtles
Marine mammals
Weather systems and patterns
Weather observations
Hurricanes
Oil spills

The Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA®) is an online mapping tool from the Office of Response and Restoration, which integrates data, like habitats, weather, and currents, into one location for experts responding to environmental disasters like hurricanes or oil spills. This tiny tutorial will help you get started using the ERMA tool®.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Engineering and technology
Earth science
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Video
Multimedia

Topic

Technology and engineering
Climate
Ocean and coasts
Climate change impacts
Carbon cycle
Ocean acidification

Special categories

Scientists in action

How and why does NOAA measure carbon in the ocean? This video demonstrates how scientists at NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory collect data on carbon and why those measurements are important. The video discusses links to climate change, ocean acidification, and their predicted effects.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Technology and engineering
Buoys
Tsunamis

Special categories

Region
Pacific Islands region
Alaska region
Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Danger zone

Tsunamis can strike any coast at any time. NOAA has developed a real-time monitoring system, DART, to forecast tsunamis and give warning.

Audience

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

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Ocean pollution and marine debris

Special categories

Citizen science
Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today

If you wish to be part of the solution to marine debris and are ready to do more than talk trash, watch our Trash Counts video featuring a citizen science project that is making a difference, one data entry at a time.