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

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Easy-to-use data product
Data product

Topic

Climate
Cryosphere
Climate data monitoring

View Arctic sea ice extent maps and trends.

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology
Physical science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Ocean currents
Technology and engineering
Buoys

An Argo float recently surfaced in the Atlantic Ocean to transmit temperature and salinity measurements from over a mile deep. This float was made in France and launched by German scientists in 2016, and it is one of thousands in the international Argo Program, which just recorded its two millionth profile, marking a major milestone for the 20-year old observation program.

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
Climate change impacts
Mapping and charting
Ships and planes
Invertebrates
Ocean sounds
Cryosphere

Special categories

Region
Alaska region
Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Exploration

The Around the Americas voyage is a 25,000-mile circumnavigation of the North and South American continents. The mission is simple: to raise awareness about the health of the ocean and to show how changes are impacting various ecosystems and human life.

Audience

College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Career profile

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Ocean floor features

Hundreds of miles east of Florida, on a ship in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, Ryan Marr squinted at his computer as sonar data streamed in. A master’s student in maritime history at East Carolina University, Marr typically used sonar as a tool to locate shipwrecks and other underwater areas of potential ethnographic interest. This time, though, he was learning how to use sonar to map a key deepwater area southeast of Bermuda.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science
ELA (English Language Arts)
Engineering and technology
Life science
Physical science
Social studies

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Activity/demonstration
Collection
Multimedia
Video

Topic

Freshwater
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Marine life
Aquatic food webs
Conservation
Ecosystems

Special categories

Grantee resource
Instructional strategies
Education at home
Hands-on
Informal
Models
Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

At Home with Galveston Bay
B-WET grantee

“At Home With The Bay” is a virtual series of engaging environmental education lessons taught by Galveston Bay Foundation staff. Lessons include a lab, conservation craft, talk with a Bay biologist and an activity of the week. Each lesson comes with an accompanying activity guide available for download on the website.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Data product

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Hurricanes

Explore the May and August seasonal outlooks for the Atlantic hurricane seasons.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science
Physical science

Resource type

Easy-to-use data product
Animation
Data product
Multimedia

Topic

Climate
Climate data monitoring
Carbon cycle

This data animation shows atmospheric carbon dioxide from 1979 through 2021. Following that time series, the animation compares the levels to preindustrial levels and the ice ages. The animation is downloadable.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Advanced data product
Data product
Background information
Collection

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Weather systems and patterns

Access information, images, analyses, diagnostics of current conditions, forecasts, and projects related to atmospheric rivers.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology

Resource type

Data product
Easy-to-use data product

Topic

Space
Auroras
Technology and engineering
Satellites

This is a short-term forecast of the location and intensity of the aurora. This product is based on the OVATION model and provides a 30 to 90 minute forecast of the location and intensity of the aurora.

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Background information

Topic

Space
Auroras

A quick intro to auroras.