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
Grade 3-5

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Background information

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Weather observations

Learn about the eight different types of fog and why they form.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Easy-to-use data product
Data product

Topic

Climate
Climate data monitoring

Explore historical temperature and precipitation graphs from cities across the U.S. from the NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Data product

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
El Niño and La Niña

Extremes of temperature and precipitation can occur at any time. However, it can be shown that the El Niño/Southern Oscillation has a relationship to the relative frequency of these seasonal climate extremes in the United States. To see which regions of the U.S. have an increased or decreased risk of extreme warm/cold (or dry/wet) seasons during an ENSO event, select from the options below. Note that these changes in ENSO-related climate risk vary not only by region, but also by season.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Social studies
Earth science

Resource type

Easy-to-use data product
Data product
Background information

Topic

Climate
Climate change impacts

Special categories

Safety/preparedness

The U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit is an inter-agency website designed to help people find and use tools, information, data, and subject matter expertise to build climate resilience. The goal is to improve people’s ability to understand and manage their climate-related risks and opportunities, and to help them make their communities and businesses more resilient to extreme events. Case studies from across the United States show examples of ways communities are building resilience.

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Background information
Data product
Easy-to-use data product

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Tornadoes

Search through monthly and yearly tornado statistics and compare to a 30 year average. The data is presented in a bar graph and is downloadable in a spreadsheet.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Data product
Background information

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Tsunamis

Special categories

Safety/preparedness

The National Weather Service's source for global tsunami warnings, advisories, watches, and threats.

Audience

Grade 3-5
Grade K-2

Subject

Life science

Resource type

Coloring/activity book

Topic

Marine life
Sharks, rays, and skates

Special categories

Printable

Focusing on sharks rays, and skates, this 26-page coloring book has a fact and coloring page for each letter of the alphabet.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Climate
Climate data monitoring

You've probably heard your local weather forecaster say something similar in her evening broadcast. But, how did they know what temperature is considered “normal” on that day?

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12
College+

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Multimedia
Webinar

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
El Niño and La Niña

In this webinar for educators, learn all about how to teach about El Niño. People all over the world experience impacts from El Niño and La Niña, the recurring climate pattern that occurs across the tropical Pacific Ocean. As this year's La Niña subsides, join us for a science-based exploration of this powerful phenomena. In this presentation, participants will dive deep into Data in the Classroom's El Niño Module to examine decades of observations from Earth observing satellites and take a virtual tour of the new web-based curricular modules and data tools. Data in the Classroom is designed to help teachers and students use real scientific data to explore dynamic Earth processes.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Video
Multimedia

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
El Niño and La Niña

Special categories

Education at home
Instructional strategies

This video demonstrates how warm water in the central Pacific can influence prevailing pressure and precipitation patterns across the ocean basin. These atmospheric disturbances influence the average position of the Jet Stream. In turn, the jet alters temperature and precipitation patterns in the United States.