NOAA Sea to Sky: Education resource database

This guide includes eight elementary-level lessons, inspired by topics from the IMAX film Ocean Odyssey. Watching the film is not required for these lessons, but may enhance students’ learning experience of the topics presented in the activities. Educators can view a special extended preview offsite link of the film. Understanding the ocean and its ecosystems is essential to comprehending and protecting this planet. We must all be stewards for a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable ocean. The activities in this guide will help lead you and your students to learn more about our ocean planet, its myriad of wonders beneath the waves, and work to maintain healthy ecosystems that are resilient in the face of change.

Learn what scientists have discovered in ten years of studying the endangered Southern Resident killer whales. See the science behind recovering this charismatic creature, from collecting their poop to tracking them using satellites.

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the National Marine Sanctuary System, the best of the best educational materials for an elementary school audience have been compiled in collaboration with the National Park Trust. Discover Spectacular with these education and outreach digital materials focused on 10 exciting topics: climate change, ocean acidification, marine debris, kelp forest ecosystems, coral reef ecosystems, sea turtles, sharks, whales and ocean noise, seabirds, and shipwrecks.

This resource collection from NOAA Education dives into marine mammals, which are found in marine ecosystems around the globe. They are a diverse group of mammals with unique physical adaptations that allow them to thrive in the marine environment with extreme temperatures, depths, pressure, and darkness.

Wow your neighbors with our eerie-sistibly fa-boo-lous ocean-inspired jack-o’-lantern stencils! Get ahead of the carve this fall and wow your neighbors with these jack-o’-lantern stencils inspired by the ocean, our research, and NOAA Fisheries celebrations

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

In this lesson, students will be learning about the importance of sound to marine mammals. They will explore how information can be gained from sound, familiarize themselves with the sounds made by various species of marine mammals, and discover how hard it is to communicate when there is a lot of anthropogenic (man-made) noise. They will see how humans have affected marine mammal acoustics and what they can do to make a difference.

Entanglement or by-catch is a global issue that affects many marine animals, including large whales. Trained responders under NOAA’s Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program can sometimes attempt the dangerous task of freeing whales from life-threatening entanglements, though the ultimate goal is to gain information to reduce the threat for both whales and humans. The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary working closely with its partners and the community, coordinates response efforts for Hawaii, an important breeding and calving ground for humpback whales. Learn more about whale entanglements and response efforts in this webinar.

An activity book with puzzles and coloring pages all about dolphins. We all love seeing dolphins in the wild! There are many ways we can enjoy seeing dolphins in the wild without disturbing them. Dolphin SMART is a program that helps boats viewing wild dolphins to view them responsibly, without harming them in any way. To learn more about the Dolphin SMART program, visit www.dolphinsmart.org.

Don't feed wild animals! Watch this video from the perspective of a wild dolphin.