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.
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  • 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 6-8
Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Space
Space weather

Sunspots are dark areas that become apparent at the Sun’s photosphere.

Audience

Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Math
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Lesson plan
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Marine life
Life in an estuary

Special categories

Informal
Hands-on
Instructional strategies

In this activity, students investigate the range of conditions that selected animal and plant species need to survive in an estuary. They examine data for abiotic factors that affect life in estuaries—salinity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and pH. Students use archived data (trend analysis graphs) and real-time conditions to predict whether a particular animal or plant species could survive in an estuary.

Audience

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

Subject

Social studies
Life science

Resource type

Career profile
Video
Collection
Multimedia

Topic

Marine life
Salmon
Sharks, rays, and skates
Fish
Invertebrates
Fisheries and seafood

Special categories

Region
Pacific Islands region

Collection name

Sustainable fisheries video gallery

Explore this collection of videos from NOAA Fisheries on sustainable fisheries.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Social studies
Life science

Resource type

Background information

Topic

Marine life
Fisheries and seafood

An introduction to sustainable seafood, including wild-caught and farmed (aquaculture) seafood from NOAA Fisheries.

Audience

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

Subject

Life science

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Activity/demonstration
Lesson plan

Topic

Marine life
Fisheries and seafood

Special categories

Instructional strategies
Informal

In this lesson, students will understand what a sustainable population and fishery is and how they can be impacted by human utilization of the ocean. Students will then construct a menu that will help ensure fish populations for generations to come.

Audience

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

Subject

Social studies
Life science

Resource type

Video
Collection
Multimedia

Topic

Marine life
Salmon
Fish
Invertebrates
Fisheries and seafood

Collection name

Sustainable seafood video galley

Learn more about sustainable seafood with this collection of videos from NOAA Fisheries.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8
Grade 3-5
Grade K-2

Subject

Math
Engineering and technology
Earth science
Life science

Resource type

Easy-to-use data product
Data product

Topic

Marine life
Sharks, rays, and skates
Fish
Ecosystems
Sea turtles
Aquatic food webs

The Global Tagging of Pelagic Predators (GTOPP) program is an international, multidisciplinary collaboration among biologists, engineers, computer scientists, and educators, which allows users to view and interact with animal tracking data, oceanographic datasets, and marine life observation. By combining data from a diverse number of highly migratory species and overlaying them with oceanographic data, it is possible to glimpse the processes that influence how open ocean ecosystems work.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Climate
Technology and engineering
Buoys
Climate change impacts

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Research

To collect data about ocean temperature and other measurements, fleet of underwater floats—called ARGO—have been deployed at more than 3,000 spots around the world. Using this data, scientists can create temperature maps and we can learn how much and how fast the ocean is warming.

Audience

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

Subject

Arts
Earth science
ELA (English Language Arts)
Life science
Math
Physical science
Social studies

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Activity/demonstration
Lesson plan
Module/unit

Topic

Marine life
Aquatic food webs
Entanglement
Ocean and coasts
Ocean currents
Ocean pollution and marine debris

NGSS DCI

ESS2: Earth’s Systems
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
ETS1: Engineering Design
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
LS4: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
PS1: Matter and Its Interactions

Special categories

Citizen science
Instructional strategies
Education at home
Hands-on
Informal
Models
Outdoor education

The guide is designed to be a resource for activities and information that can fit into existing lesson plans or can be followed verbatim as its own set of lesson plans. Whether you have one hour, one day or one week, the information and activities in this guide will allow you to develop a personalized marine debris education program.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Career profile

Topic

Climate
Climate change impacts

Ko Barrett, Vice Chair of the IPCC, based in the U.S. Ms. Barrett, who is also Deputy Director of NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Office, has been working on climate for over two decades, representing the United States as a climate negotiator, including almost a decade as the lead U.S. negotiator on adaptation.