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.

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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

Career profile

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Ocean acidification

Career profile of Dr. Jessica Cross.

Audience

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

Subject

Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Activity/demonstration
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Marine life
Weather and atmosphere
Ocean and coasts
Fisheries and seafood
Weather systems and patterns
Weather observations
Tides
Ocean pollution and marine debris
Ocean floor features

Special categories

Informal
Models
Hands-on
Instructional strategies

Learn some lessons in physics and chemistry from your favorite winter drinks.

Audience

Grade K-2

Subject

Earth science
Life science

Resource type

Coloring/activity book
Podcast
Video
Background information
Collection
Multimedia

Topic

Marine life
Ocean and coasts
Ocean exploration
Fish
Ecosystems
Invertebrates

Collection name

Octonauts Corner

NOAA Ocean Exploration and the Octonauts (http://www.theoctonauts.com/) have teamed up to bring you great deep-ocean information, to help you learn about and protect our ocean.

Audience

Grade 3-5
Grade K-2

Subject

Arts
ELA (English Language Arts)
Life science

Resource type

Lesson plan
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Marine life
Invertebrates

NGSS DCI

LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

Special categories

Informal
Hands-on
Instructional strategies

Marine organisms adapt to their habitats in a variety of ways. Octopi, for example, have developed their own unique strategy of camouflage. They can change almost instantly to match the color and texture of their surroundings — even sporting stripes or a stippled texture in an attempt to blend in with their environment. And, since octopi have no rigid skeleton, they can squeeze through the tiniest openings and holes in the ocean floor to hide. As a last resort, they can use jet propulsion and a black cloud of ink as a diversion for an escape. In this lesson, students will observe and demonstrate how camouflage works in an environment.

Audience

Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Lesson plan
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Ocean acidification

NGSS DCI

PS1: Matter and Its Interactions
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
ESS2: Earth’s Systems

Special categories

Hands-on
Instructional strategies

In this lesson from Ocean Exploration's "Why Do We Explore?", volume, students will answer the question: What factors tend to resist changes in pH of the ocean, and why is the ocean becoming more acidic? Students will explore pH, explain Le Chatelier’s Principle, and will predict how the carbonate buffer system of seawater will respond to a change in concentration of hydrogen ions.

Audience

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

Subject

Arts
Humanities/liberal arts
Life science
Social studies

Resource type

Collection
Multimedia
Simulation
Video

Topic

Freshwater
Great Lakes ecoregion
Marine life
Aquatic food webs
Coral reef ecosystems
Ecosystems
Fish
Invertebrates
Marine mammals
Sea turtles
Ocean and coasts

Special categories

Virtual reality/VR

Collection name

Sanctuaries 360 virtual dives

Dive in without getting wet! Your National Marine Sanctuary System protects a network of underwater parks encompassing more than 600,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes waters, and now you can visit these amazing places in the blink of an eye. From the thriving kelp forests of Channel Islands to the treasured coral reefs of the Florida Keys, few places on the planet can compete with the wonders of the National Marine Sanctuary System. Come along as we experience these underwater treasures through eight virtual reality videos. Check out the Next Generation Science Standard lesson plans that complement the VR videos to go deeper.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science
Physical science

Resource type

Activity/demonstration
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Oil spills

Special categories

Informal
Hands-on
Instructional strategies

In this experiment, you will use molasses to simulate a heavy oil, such as a fuel oil for ships, and mineral oil to simulate a lighter oil, such as a light crude or diesel oil.

Audience

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

Resource type

Video

Topic

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

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Fix the ocean

Quick action can help prevent oil spills from becoming environmental disasters. See what happened after an oil tanker collided into a barge in New Orleans.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science
Life science

Resource type

Story map
Background information
Multimedia

Topic

Marine life
Ocean and coasts
Marine mammals
Oil spills

NOAA's guidelines assessing exposure and impacts of oil spills on marine mammals

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 3-5

Subject

Arts
ELA (English Language Arts)
Earth science
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Lesson plan
Activities, lessons, and units

Topic

Climate
Climate change impacts

Special categories

Hands-on
Instructional strategies

Students learn about the role methane hydrates played in animal evolution during the Cambrian Explosion, 541 million years ago. Students also learn how methane hydrates may contribute to climate change.