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

Grade 6-8

Subject

Physical science

Resource type

Activity/demonstration
Lesson plan
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Ocean floor features

NGSS DCI

PS1: Matter and Its Interactions

Special categories

Hands-on
Instructional strategies

Collection name

Ocean Exploration educational materials

Near spreading centers or subduction zones cold seawater percolates down through fissures in the ocean crust, is heated by hot magma, and reemerges, forming hydrothermal vents. At some vents known as black smokers, rocky chimneys can rise more than 50 meters from the sea floor. In this investigation, students explore how a solid forms from the mixing of two liquids and use the science ideas they develop to help explain how chimneys form at hydrothermal vents.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Freshwater
Water cycle

Learn how snowflakes form and why two are never the same.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Background information

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Oil spills

Information about the causes of oil spills.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Video
Background information
Multimedia

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Tornadoes

Collection name

SciJinks

A video from SciJinks on how tornadoes form.

Audience

College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science
Physical science

Resource type

Background information

Topic

Technology and engineering
Ocean and coasts
Buoys
Ocean currents

How do we monitor currents?

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science
Life science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Marine life
Ocean and coasts
Marine mammals
Oil spills
Ocean pollution and marine debris

Preventing oil spills is key, but since killer whales, also known as orcas, spend much of their time in the busy waters around Seattle, the San Juan Islands, and Vancouver, British Columbia, there is always a chance a spill could impact them.

Audience

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

Subject

Engineering and technology
Earth science

Resource type

Background information

Topic

Technology and engineering
Weather and atmosphere
Satellites
Weather observations

Special categories

Italian
Printable
Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

SciJinks

How does a satellite stay up in space without falling back to Earth? How is a weather satellite able to take pictures or measure surface temperatures from space? How does a satellite communicate with Earth? Learn with this booklet!

Audience

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

Subject

Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Activity/demonstration
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Oil spills

Special categories

Informal
Education at home
Hands-on
Instructional strategies

Try this slick and simple experiment for elementary school students in class or at home to see how oil behaves with water.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Social studies
Earth science

Resource type

Infographic
Video
Multimedia

Topic

Freshwater
Great Lakes ecoregion

Interesting facts and statistics about the Great Lakes. Each piece of information is paired with a graphic that helps viewers visualize the statistic or fact.

Audience

Grade 3-5

Subject

Engineering and technology
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Lesson plan
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

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

NGSS DCI

ETS1: Engineering Design
LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

Special categories

Models
Hands-on
Instructional strategies

Collection name

Sanctuaries resource collection: Ocean sound and impact of noise

Hands-on activities and a selection of videos will show students how increasing ocean noise affects whales and their ability to communicate with each other. Students will learn how whales communicate, how sound travels in waves, and how sound travels faster in water than in air. Students will also learn how the deployment and recovery of acoustic mooring devices help scientists measure ocean noise. After students take a mini-assessment, the lesson invites students to think of solutions to help the whales.