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.
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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 K-2
Grade 3-5

Subject

Earth science
Life science
Social studies

Resource type

Background information
Career profile

Topic

Marine life
Ecosystems
Fish
Plankton
Ocean and coasts
Technology and engineering
ROVs, AUVs, and drones

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

University of Southern California (USC) Sea Grant's Education Specialist, Maria Madrigal's book, STEAM Powered Series: Marine Biology offsite link, focuses on her specialty in marine science education and highlights her Hispanic heritage. The book follows Cora and her friend, Bonnie the butterfly, as they discover the different ways scientists study what is underwater. This book focuses on topics that are accessible and local to Los Angeles students and highlighted themes common to USC Sea Grant's work: Cora and Bonnie explore kelp forests, plankton and harmful algal blooms, grunion fish, and tidepool monitoring, while venturing out to free and accessible areas that children can enjoy, such as docks, the beach, and aquariums. The book is also available in Spanish offsite link.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science
Life science
Social studies

Resource type

Collection
Multimedia
Video

Topic

Marine life
Conservation
Invertebrates
Marine mammals
Sharks, rays, and skates
Ocean and coasts
Earth processes

Special categories

Cultural heritage

These five minute videos highlight Black, Indigenous, and people of color in career pathways in marine research and ocean conservation. The main goal of the series is to represent marine scientists of color as role models for students to inspire a world of possibilities for their future careers. The videos tell the story of how these individuals got involved in the field, what they do, what barriers they encountered, and what they enjoy most about their work. There are active listening question suggestions to help with engagement.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science
Life science
Social studies

Resource type

Collection
Multimedia
Video

Topic

Freshwater
Great Lakes ecoregion
Marine life
Fish
Fisheries and seafood
Invertebrates
Marine mammals
Salmon
Sea turtles
Sharks, rays, and skates

Special categories

Cultural heritage
Region
Alaska region
Pacific Islands region

NOAA Fisheries video gallery has short videos organized by topic and region. Explore Fisheries videos from across the country!

Audience

Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science
Life science
Social studies

Resource type

Multimedia
Podcast

Topic

Marine life
Fisheries and seafood

Explore archived episodes of this podcast from NOAA Fisheries.

Audience

Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science
Life science
Social studies

Resource type

Multimedia
Podcast

Topic

Marine life
Fisheries and seafood

Special categories

Cultural heritage

NOAA Fisheries conducts world-class science to support sustainable marine life and habitats. We manage millions of square miles of ocean (almost 100,000 miles of coastline), support a $244 billion fishing industry, and protect and rebuild endangered marine species and habitats. It’s a huge job. Our podcast, “Dive In with NOAA Fisheries,” is about the work we do and the people behind it.

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science
Social studies

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Hurricanes

In the rearview mirror, life-changing events can look a little different. An extreme weather event survived by a young Anthony Arguez later altered his life in a positive way. Despite the devastation, Hurricane Andrew’s landfall in the summer of 1992 sent him on a new path that led to NOAA

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science
Life science

Resource type

Multimedia
Video

Topic

Climate
Climate change
Climate change impacts
Marine life
Ocean and coasts
Ocean acidification

Special categories

Grantee resource
Other languages
Spanish

Una mirada al efecto directo e indirecto que ha causado la absorción de dióxido de carbono (CO2) en los ecosistemas marinos, corales y organismos marinos. Estudios de monitoreo realizados y cómo las comunidades pueden ayudar.

Audience

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

Subject

Math

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Activity/demonstration

Topic

Climate
Changing seasons

Special categories

Instructional strategies
Education at home
Informal
Inquiry
Uses data

For many people, opening their windows to a chorus of crickets is a hallmark of summer nights and fall mornings, but did you know that their symphony can also be used as a thermometer? By counting the frequency of their chirps, you can estimate the temperature with arithmetic! 

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Activity/demonstration
Data product
Easy-to-use data product

Topic

Climate
Climate change
Climate change impacts
Ocean and coasts
Technology and engineering
Mapping and charting
Weather and atmosphere
El Niño and La Niña
Hurricanes

Special categories

Instructional strategies
Education at home
Informal
Uses data
Printable

A spherical projection is the best way to view Earth data, simply because Earth is a sphere! When you attempt to make a map of the world flat, certain locations become distorted, appearing bigger or smaller than they actually are. This hands-on activity allows you to explore the idea of Earth data and the difficulty associated with flat maps, and to enjoy the process of making a little globe. Several of Science On a Sphere’s most popular and important datasets are available for printing.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science
Social studies

Resource type

Multimedia
Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Ocean pollution and marine debris

Special categories

Grantee resource

This video, created by One Cool Earth offsite link with support from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, walks through an easy way to help your school reduce waste: organizing waste stations! This strategy guides students in sorting different types of lunchroom waste, including landfill trash, recyclable materials, organic waste, and more. Waste stations help reduce debris by maximizing recycling and composting, while also helping students understand the importance of disposing of their waste responsibly.