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

Engineering and technology
Earth science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Technology and engineering
Weather and atmosphere
Buoys
Weather observations

The benefits of buoy data are widespread.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Weather observations

Wherever you live in the United States, there’s a National Weather Service (NWS) forecast office near you. With over 160 local, regional, and national offices across the country, NWS experts are not only responsible for forecasting the weather, they also have opportunities to share their love of weather through local education and outreach.

Audience

Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

ELA (English Language Arts)
Earth science
Physical science

Resource type

Module/unit
Background information
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Weather systems and patterns

Special categories

Models
Uses data
Instructional strategies

Collection name

Satellite meteorology learning modules

In this module, you will learn how to: interpret weather patterns from satellite images, predict storm paths, and forecast the weather for your area.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Data product

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Weather systems and patterns
Weather observations

View weather forecasts up to 14 days out, including temperature, precipitation, fronts, and precipitation. Explore an interactive map.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Background information

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Weather systems and patterns
Weather observations
Tornadoes

An overview on the SKYWARN Spotter program with information about spotting tornadoes, flash floods, wall and funnel clouds, lightning, winter weather, wind, hail, marine hazards, and more.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Related story
Background information

Topic

Freshwater
Weather and atmosphere
Water cycle
Weather systems and patterns

Atmospheric rivers are relatively long, narrow regions in the atmosphere – like rivers in the sky – that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics. These columns of vapor move with the weather, carrying an amount of water vapor roughly equivalent to the average flow of water at the mouth of the Mississippi River. When the atmospheric rivers make landfall, they often release this water vapor in the form of rain or snow.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Video
Multimedia

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Weather observations
Clouds

Special categories

Outdoor education
Instructional strategies

Collection name

SciJinks

A video from NOAA SciJinks about clouds. All clouds are made up of basically the same thing: water droplets or ice crystals that float in the sky. But all clouds look a little bit different from one another, and sometimes these differences can help us predict a change in the weather.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Background information

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Weather systems and patterns

Collection name

SciJinks

The trade winds are winds that reliably blow east to west just north and south of the equator. The winds help ships travel west, and they can also steer storms such as hurricanes, too.

Audience

College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Career profile

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Weather observations

Meteorology students face plenty of career choices: should they go into broadcast, research, or operational forecasting? Each track offers a very different experience. And while students are exposed to broadcasters on television and researchers at their universities, it can be a challenge for them to experience operational forecasting.

Audience

College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Background information

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Weather systems and patterns

Collection name

SciJinks

A monsoon is a shift in winds that often causes a very rainy season or a very dry season. Although monsoons are usually associated with parts of Asia, they can happen in many tropical and subtropical regions – including several locations in the United States.