⚠️ 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.”
- Climate (278)
- Freshwater (164)
- Marine life
(483)
- Adaptations (11)
- Aquatic food webs (58)
- Coral reef ecosystems (86)
- Conservation (31)
- Ecosystems (116)
- Endangered species (20)
- Entanglement (17)
- Fish (100)
- Fisheries and seafood (112)
- Invasive marine species (9)
- Invertebrates (91)
- Life in an estuary (36)
- Marine mammals (136)
- Plankton (15)
- Salmon (23)
- Sea turtles (64)
- Seabirds (31)
- Seaweed, algae, and aquatic plants (24)
- Sharks, rays, and skates (39)
- NOAA careers (28)
- Ocean and coasts
(667)
- Earth processes (16)
- Harmful algal blooms (19)
- Maritime archaeology and history (35)
- Ocean acidification (66)
- Ocean chemistry (16)
- Ocean currents (95)
- Ocean exploration (81)
- Ocean floor features (86)
- (-) Ocean pollution and marine debris (176)
- Ocean sounds (15)
- Oil spills (58)
- Rip currents (22)
- Sea level rise (41)
- Tides (59)
- Tsunamis (56)
- Space (50)
- Technology and engineering (293)
- Weather and atmosphere (328)
- ESS1: Earth’s Place in the Universe (1)
- ESS2: Earth’s Systems (10)
- ESS3: Earth and Human Activity (26)
- ETS1: Engineering Design (15)
- LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes (8)
- LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics (16)
- LS3: Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits (1)
- LS4: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity (13)
- PS1: Matter and Its Interactions (16)
- PS2: Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions (2)
- PS3: Energy (3)
- PS4: Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer (2)
- B-WET grantee (4)
- Bite-sized Science webinar series (1)
- CLEAN climate and energy education resource collection (1)
- Diving Deeper podcast (1)
- Estuary Education website (1)
- H.O.M.E.S. at Home webinars (1)
- Marine Debris at-home collection (1)
- Marine Debris Program posters (1)
- Marine Debris STEAMSS (4)
- Marine Debris Toolkit (1)
- Maritime Archaeology (1)
- National Marine Sanctuaries Webinar Series: Archived webinars (2)
- NOAA Live! 4 Kids (1)
- NOAA Live! Alaska (1)
- NOAA Marine Debris Program (5)
- NOAA Ocean Podcast (1)
- NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer: Education materials collection (1)
- Ocean Exploration educational materials (1)
- Ocean facts (1)
- Ocean Today (34)
- Oregon Marine Scientist and Educator Alliance (ORSEA) (1)
- Sanctuaries media gallery (1)
- Sanctuaries resource collection: Ocean sound and impact of noise (2)
- Science On a Sphere catalog (1)
- Sea Grant podcasts (1)
Audience
Subject
Resource type
Topic
Special categories
Collection name
Check out these activities, lessons, and resources that use curiosity and inquiry to answer your questions about marine debris.
Audience
Subject
Resource type
Topic
This feature is part of a monthly series profiling scientists and technicians who provide exemplary contributions to the mission of NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R). In this "Minds Behind OR&R," meet Carlie Herring, a research analyst for the NOAA Marine Debris Program.
Audience
Subject
Resource type
Topic
Microplastics are found throughout the ocean, from tropical waters, to polar ice, and even in fresh water and the air we breathe. Learn more about the different types of microplastics, where they come from, and what you can do to help!
Audience
Subject
Resource type
Topic
A video on some issues impacting fish health.
Audience
Subject
Resource type
Topic
Special categories
The National Marine Sanctuaries Webinar Series provides educators with educational and scientific expertise, resources and training to support ocean and climate literacy in the classroom. This series targets formal and informal educators that are engaging students (elementary through college) in formal classroom settings, as well as members of the community in informal educational venues (e.g., after school programs, science centers, aquariums, etc.).
Audience
Resource type
Topic
Special categories
Collection name
In Hawaii, a program turns derelict fishing nets into electricity, providing power while cleaning the ecosystem.
Audience
Resource type
Topic
Collection name
Imagine eating your way to a healthier Bay! Nationwide shell recycling programs and oyster lovers are helping to restore wild oyster reefs.
Audience
Subject
Resource type
Topic
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
Subject
Resource type
Topic
Two underwater robots were deployed to autonomously monitor and measure the toxicity of harmful algal blooms in the Great Lakes.
Audience
Subject
Resource type
Topic
Special categories
Collection name
This webinar series was developed by NOAA's Regional Collaboration Network and Woods Hole Sea Grant at WHOI in response to the COVID school closures. With over 100 webinars featuring different NOAA experts/topics and a moderated question and answers session throughout so that students could get a peek at what our NOAA scientists do in all the various NOAA offices. They range in geography, content, and NOAA line office focus but are all designed to engage the students, answer their questions, and give them a glimpse of possible career options. Captions are available in English and Spanish. Many have ASL interpretation.