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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Marine life
Climate
Technology and engineering
Coral reef ecosystems
Ocean floor features
Mapping and charting

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Fix the ocean

Over the past few decades the marine environment of Buck Island Reef has been significantly threatened by a warming ocean, along with disease, hurricanes, and overfishing, among other stressors. NOAA and the National Park Service are creating a geo-referenced coral reef base map to better understand coral reef dynamics and processes.

Audience

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

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Maritime archaeology and history

Special categories

Cultural heritage
Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Exploration

An international agreement recognizes the Titanic wreck site as a memorial to those who died and a wreck of great archaeological, historical, and cultural importance.

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. Meghan Cronin.

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. Sophie Chu.

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12
College+

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Career profile

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Ocean floor features

Q&A with oceanographer Sharon Walker

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Career profile

Topic

Climate
Weather and atmosphere
Cryosphere
Climate change impacts

Bob Grumbine of the National Weather Service’s Environmental Modeling Center is one of hundreds of scientists working to improve weather and sea-ice forecasting in the Arctic and Antarctic through The Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP).

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12
Adults

Subject

Earth science
Math

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Activity/demonstration

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Hurricanes

Special categories

Instructional strategies
Models

With tropical cyclones, the National Hurricane Center issues a forecast/advisory four times daily that, among other things, provides the extent of various wind fields. These distance values are divided into quadrants and provides the user with a guide to size and severity of storms. Through this activity, students will chart winds in quadrants around a hurricane.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Job seeker resource

Topic

NOAA careers
Weather and atmosphere
Weather observations

View the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's formal requirements to pursue meteorology careers with the federal government.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Background information

Topic

Climate
Weather and atmosphere
Drought
Climate change impacts

From the National Integrated Drought Information System, these quarterly two-page reports on U.S and Canada regional climate impacts show an overview of recent and forecast conditions.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Video
Collection
Multimedia

Topic

Marine life
Ecosystems
Freshwater
Life in an estuary

Collection name

B-WET grantee
Raindrop to Sea video series

Investigate the movement of water through the water cycle using a watershed model with this collection of videos from B-WET grantee Cascade Head Biosphere Reserve.