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

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Video
Multimedia

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Ocean floor features

A collection of several short underwater volcano videos.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Social studies
Life science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Marine life
Fisheries and seafood

The United States is one of the largest markets for seafood in the world. Every American eats almost 16 pounds of seafood a year, spending about $96 billion annually on seafood. As a result, we have a major impact on the sustainability of the world’s fisheries and in global seafood trade.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Weather observations

Huddled around computers, teams of meteorologists-in-training carefully analyzed data from radar, satellites, and other observing systems. Telltale signs of severe thunderstorms appeared on their displays, tracking toward Dallas. As the storms intensified, these students faced several key decisions: should they issue a severe thunderstorm warning, a tornado warning, or do nothing?

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Engineering and technology
Earth science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Technology and engineering
Weather and atmosphere
Weather observations

The NWS piloted an initiative in Alaska to automate the process of releasing weather balloons. Autolaunch systems were deployed across Alaska as part of this project.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Social studies
Earth science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Ocean pollution and marine debris

Special categories

Citizen science

Citizen science, sometimes called community science, is a partnership between the public and professional scientists where anyone can have a role in the scientific process. Several projects funded through the NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP) have tapped into this community resource as well, and committed stewards around the country have contributed invaluable data to monitoring and research projects that support our vision of a sea free of debris.

Audience

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

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Technology and engineering
Maritime archaeology and history
Coral reef ecosystems

Special categories

Cultural heritage
Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Exploration

The USS Monitor was a civil war ironclad warship that sank in 1862. As an important piece of US history, the Monitor’s protection and management were entrusted to NOAA, as it was designated the first national marine sanctuary in 1975.

Audience

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

Resource type

Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Maritime archaeology and history
Ocean exploration

Special categories

Cultural heritage
Other languages
Spanish

Collection name

Ocean Today
Ocean Today: Exploration

Despite surviving a firefight during the Civil War, the USS Monitor sunk on December 31, 1862. In 1973, remains of the USS Monitor were found on the seafloor 16 miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Soon after, the wreck site was designated as the country’s first national marine sanctuary.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science
Physical science

Resource type

Advanced data product
Data product

Topic

Climate
Climate data monitoring
Changing seasons

Explore vegetation data with imagery from the operational GOES East (GOES-16) and GOES West (GOES-17) satellites.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Easy-to-use data product
Animation
Data product
Multimedia

Topic

Climate
Changing seasons

Special categories

Models
Instructional strategies

Collection name

Science On a Sphere catalog

Although 75% of the planet is a relatively unchanging ocean of blue, the remaining 25% of Earth's surface is a dynamic green. Data from the NASA/NOAA Suomi NPP satellite is able to show these subtle differences in greenness using the Visible-Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument on board the satellite. This dataset highlights our ever-changing planet, using a highly detailed vegetation index data from the satellite, developed by scientists at NOAA.

Audience

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

Subject

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

Resource type

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

Topic

Freshwater
Rivers
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Marine life
Ecosystems
Fish
Fisheries and seafood
Life in an estuary

Special categories

Grantee resource
Instructional strategies
Education at home
Hands-on
Informal
Models
Outdoor education
Uses data
Other languages
Spanish
Printable

Collection name

B-WET grantee
Salmon Heroes

On this page you will find information and links for everything you need for your Virtual Salmon Heroes Experience. The Virtual Salmon Heroes program is divided into three parts, which include 1) Introductory lesson videos, 2) field lesson videos, and 3) synthesis lesson videos. A Salmon Heroes Field Journal accompanies the videos.