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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.”
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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.”
- Activities, lessons, and units (37)
- Arts and crafts (2)
- Background information (80)
- Career profile (29)
- Citizen science project (4)
- Collection (69)
- Coloring/activity book (11)
- Data product (69)
- Job seeker resource (2)
- Multimedia (103)
- NOAA Education resource collection (5)
- Poster/brochure (6)
- Related story (56)
- Climate (275)
- Freshwater (164)
- Marine life
(481)
- Adaptations (11)
- Aquatic food webs (58)
- Coral reef ecosystems (85)
- Conservation (31)
- Ecosystems (116)
- Endangered species (20)
- Entanglement (17)
- Fish (99)
- Fisheries and seafood (111)
- Invasive marine species (9)
- Invertebrates (90)
- Life in an estuary (36)
- Marine mammals (135)
- 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
(665)
- 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 (84)
- 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 (288)
- (-) Weather and atmosphere (326)
- B-WET grantee (2)
- Careers in hydrology (1)
- CIMSS weather and climate activities (1)
- CIRES/NOAA Science@Home webinar (1)
- CIRES/NOAA Serie La Ciencia-en-Casa (1)
- CLEAN climate and energy education resource collection (1)
- Data in the Classroom (2)
- Do you NOAA? (1)
- Earth Genius Program (1)
- ELP grantee (3)
- Exploring our fluid Earth (1)
- Faces of the National Weather Service (2)
- GOES-R infographics (1)
- GOES-R satellite video collection (2)
- Great Lakes Coastal Forecasting System (1)
- Great Lakes Meteorological Real-Time Coastal Observation Network (ReCON) (1)
- Great Lakes photo gallery (1)
- H.O.M.E.S. at Home webinars (1)
- Hurricane Hunters video collection (1)
- JetStream: An online school for weather (8)
- National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) (2)
- National Severe Storms Laboratory learning resources (1)
- National Weather Service (1)
- NOAA Boulder Labs: Meet our team (1)
- NOAA Boulder scientists explain science (1)
- NOAA Boulder Virtual 8th Grade Science Days (1)
- NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps (1)
- NOAA Digital Coast (1)
- NOAA Enrichment in Marine Sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) curriculum (1)
- NOAA Live! 4 Kids (1)
- NOAA Marine Debris Program (1)
- Ocean Exploration facts (1)
- Ocean facts (1)
- Ocean Today (26)
- Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory El Niño theme page (1)
- Satellite meteorology learning modules (3)
- Science On a Sphere catalog (5)
- SciJinks (13)
- Sea-Earth-Atmosphere (SEA) resources (1)
- Severe weather 101 (1)
- Severe weather event summaries (1)
- Storm surge videos and brochures (1)
- The GLOBE Program (3)
- UCAR teaching boxes (1)
- Weather 101 (1)
- Women in science profiles (1)
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A primer on El Niño, La Niña, and the El Niño /Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
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Upper air charts are maps with wavy lines and numbers on them. These charts may look confusing if you're not a meteorologist, but they are critical in forecasting weather! Learn more about our upper atmosphere, how these charts are created, and how meteorologists use them to forecast the weather.
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If you've ever been to the ocean, you might have noticed winds coming onshore from the sea. Learn more about this phenomenon and its counterpart, the land breeze.
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This introduction to synoptic meteorology will help readers to better understand weather maps, data, and forecasting.
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Marine debris is a pervasive, global problem and one that is felt locally in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). Through a NOAA Marine Debris Program prevention grant, the University of the Virgin Islands(link is external) adapted and revised marine debris lessons for USVI, including Oregon Marine Debris STEAMSS, Turning the Tide on Trash, and Talking Trash and Taking Action. The curriculum was co-created with the input of educators from USVI who participated in workshops and provided input following in-class use. The curriculum also includes 15 spotlights, which highlight USVI-specific marine debris research, local researchers, community-led prevention efforts, and natural disaster impacts from marine debris.
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In this lesson plan, the students will determine the location of cold and warm fronts on a map plotted with weather observations.
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We feel the wind every day. The air is almost always in motion. One day it may be from the north and the next day from the south. There are many sources for wind: mechanical sources such as fans and, in nature, falling rain as it drags air along. But what is the origin of wind on the earth? Using a toaster, the students will observe that wind is created by the heat that rises.
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Rain and hail will be suspended by the updraft inside a thunderstorm until the weight of the hail and water can no longer be supported. Usually, the stronger the updraft in a thunderstorm, the more intense the storm and the larger the size of hail that can be produced. Suspending a ping pong ball in the stream of air supplied by a hair dryer will demonstrates how hail is supported in thunderstorms.
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Thousands of amateur meteorologists across the United States help the National Weather Service track weather patterns by performing a daily task — checking the temperature and precipitation amounts on their property. These citizen scientists record and report their findings to the agency, every day.
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Part of the National Centers for Environmental Information, Local Climatological Data hosts common past weather data including temperature, precipitation, wind, pressure, and more. Search by state/territory, county, or zip code to download information. Some international data are available. Note: Though you may need to click "Add to cart" to obtain data, all information is free unless you require a certified copy.