NOAA Sea to Sky: Education resource database

⚠️ 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.”

 

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Background information

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Tornadoes

Special categories

Safety/preparedness

An overview of tornadoes from the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL).

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Engineering and technology
Earth science
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Video
Multimedia

Topic

Technology and engineering
Climate
Ocean and coasts
Climate change impacts
Carbon cycle
Ocean acidification

Special categories

Scientists in action

How and why does NOAA measure carbon in the ocean? This video demonstrates how scientists at NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory collect data on carbon and why those measurements are important. The video discusses links to climate change, ocean acidification, and their predicted effects.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Engineering and technology
Earth science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Technology and engineering
Weather and atmosphere
Satellites
Weather observations

Lightning strikes, giant sparks of electricity in Earth’s atmosphere that are hotter than the surface of the sun , are a major hazard during thunderstorms. Knowing when and where lightning is occurring can tell us a lot about a storm - including its location, whether it’s intensifying, and if the storm is capable of producing severe weather.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Social studies
Earth science

Resource type

Video
Multimedia

Topic

Freshwater
Weather and atmosphere
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Weather observations

A multi-agency project, Coastal and Inland Flood Observation and Warning Project (CI-FLOW), helps to improve the forecasts on total water level, which will tell communities how flooding will impact them. This video explains how these predictions are made and how communities can be prepared.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Technology and engineering
Buoys
Tsunamis

Special categories

Region
Pacific Islands region
Alaska region
Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Danger zone

Tsunamis can strike any coast at any time. NOAA has developed a real-time monitoring system, DART, to forecast tsunamis and give warning.

Audience

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

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Ocean pollution and marine debris

Special categories

Citizen science
Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today

If you wish to be part of the solution to marine debris and are ready to do more than talk trash, watch our Trash Counts video featuring a citizen science project that is making a difference, one data entry at a time.

Audience

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

Subject

Engineering and technology
Earth science

Resource type

Video
Background information
Multimedia

Topic

Technology and engineering
Ocean and coasts
ROVs, AUVs, and drones
Ocean pollution and marine debris

You may think that working in the deep sea means that we only see pristine environments, but unfortunately that isn't true. During our 5,000-meter dive in Sirena Canyon, along the Mariana Trench wall, we saw multiple pieces of marine debris.

Audience

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

Subject

Arts
ELA (English Language Arts)
Earth science
Life science

Resource type

Activity/demonstration
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Ocean pollution and marine debris

Special categories

Informal
Education at home
Hands-on
Instructional strategies

Trash Shouldn't Splash was developed and initially implemented in Falmouth, MA. Here we provide a toolkit with information to help you implement a single-use plastics reduction campaign in your own community. The toolkit includes logos, materials, strategies, lessons from behavioral science, classroom visit plans and more. You may use as much or as little as you'd like. Thanks for making an effort to reduce waste in your community!

Audience

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

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Ocean pollution and marine debris

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today

Ocean Today host Symone Johnson introduces the Trash Talk video collection, which explores marine debris.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Marine life
Ocean pollution and marine debris
Ocean currents

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today

Learn all about marine debris in this short documentary: what it is, where it comes from, the impacts, and what you can do.