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

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Social studies
Earth science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Freshwater
Weather and atmosphere
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Water cycle
Weather systems and patterns

Special categories

Safety/preparedness

To help people prepare for and manage the effects of coastal flooding, NOAA has brought together data from its over 200 coastal water level stations into one easy-to-use web tool.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Coloring/activity book

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Weather observations
Tornadoes
Hurricanes

Special categories

Printable

Downloadable and printable activity books for children on weather hazards like flooding, hurricanes, lightning, and tornadoes featuring the National Weather Service's Owlie.

Audience

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

Subject

Social studies
Earth science

Resource type

Coloring/activity book

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Weather observations
Tornadoes
Hurricanes

Special categories

Printable
Safety/preparedness

This coloring book from the National Weather Service explores hurricanes, tornadoes, lightning, floods, and winter storms.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Related story
Video
Background information
Collection
Multimedia

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
El Niño and La Niña

Collection name

Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory El Niño theme page

News, research, background information, FAQs, videos, and more on El Niño from the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory.

Audience

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

Subject

Math
Engineering and technology
Earth science
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Collection
Activity/demonstration
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Marine life
Weather and atmosphere
Ocean and coasts
Hazards and safety
Earth processes
Sea level rise
Coral reef ecosystems
Weather systems and patterns
Weather observations
El Niño and La Niña
Ocean pollution and marine debris
Ocean acidification

Special categories

Informal
Inquiry
Education at home
Models
Hands-on
Uses data
Instructional strategies

Collection name

Science On a Sphere catalog

Phenomenon-based learning is an educational approach that engages students in science. It starts with a “phenomenon,” or an attention-grabbing image or video clip that hooks students into the lesson. In these modules, we use datasets from NOAA’s Science On a Sphere® (SOS) to help explore and explain science phenomena. The modules are also aligned to NGSS.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Related story
Images
Multimedia

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Tornadoes

The tornado outbreaks of 2011 were unprecedented. Destruction to life and property occurred in more than a dozen states from the Central Plains and Missouri, throughout the Southeast and as far north as Massachusetts. In total, 1,691 tornadoes claimed 553 lives, making it the deadliest tornado year since 1936.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Tornadoes

Scientists take measurements to unlock clues to the life cycle of a tornado.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Career profile

Topic

Technology and engineering
Weather and atmosphere
Ships and planes
Hurricanes

Most pilots try to avoid flying an airplane into severe weather, but not the NOAA Hurricane Hunters. Their job is to fly specially equipped aircraft directly into the eye of the storm to collect crucial data that helps protects lives and property. Commander Scott Price, a NOAA Commissioned Corps Officer, is one of this rare breed.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Career profile

Topic

Climate
Weather and atmosphere
Cryosphere
Climate change impacts

Bob Grumbine of the National Weather Service’s Environmental Modeling Center is one of hundreds of scientists working to improve weather and sea-ice forecasting in the Arctic and Antarctic through The Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP).

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12
Adults

Subject

Earth science
Math

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Activity/demonstration

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Hurricanes

Special categories

Instructional strategies
Models

With tropical cyclones, the National Hurricane Center issues a forecast/advisory four times daily that, among other things, provides the extent of various wind fields. These distance values are divided into quadrants and provides the user with a guide to size and severity of storms. Through this activity, students will chart winds in quadrants around a hurricane.