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

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

Resource type

Webinar

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Marine life
Technology and engineering
Ocean exploration

Collection name

Ocean Today

Take a 30 minute tour of the free videos and resources available from NOAA’s Ocean Today program, focusing on the Deep Sea Dive collection.

Audience

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

Resource type

Webinar

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Marine life
Technology and engineering
Ocean exploration
Maritime archaeology and history
ROVs, AUVs, and drones

Special categories

Cultural heritage

Collection name

Ocean Today

Ocean Today co-hosts Symone Barkley and Debi Blaney led this webinar on an expedition that deployed robots and lasers to explore sunken war ships! We also visited two National Marine Sanctuaries.

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology

Resource type

Multimedia
Animation
Related story

Topic

Technology and engineering
Satellites
Weather and atmosphere
Hazards and safety
Weather observations

Shocking! Within this cluster of storms, a single lightning bolt captured by NOAA satellites was recently certified by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) as the world’s longest flash on record. The horizontal distance of the bolt stretched 477 miles, from the central coast of Texas to southern Mississippi, when it flashed on April 29, 2020.

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Engineering and technology
Social studies

Resource type

Multimedia
Video

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Technology and engineering
Ships and planes

Special categories

Cultural heritage

This 30-minute historical documentary is about the lives and stories of ten women in the NOAA Corps service: how they came to the NOAA Corps, their motivations and challenges, and views on their service. The documentary serves to elevate public understanding and appreciation of the NOAA Corps, particularly women’s service in the Corps, and to inspire the next generation of women in scientific service. The NOAA Corps is one of seven federal uniformed services of the United States, and NOAA Corps officers serve on the sea, on land, and in the air to support NOAA’s environmental science and stewardship mission.

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

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

Resource type

Background information
Career profile

Topic

Climate
Climate data monitoring
Freshwater
Great Lakes ecoregion
Marine life
Ocean and coasts
Technology and engineering
Weather and atmosphere

To celebrate Women’s History Month, check out this interview with the NOAA Central Library Research Team, including Librarians Lisa Clarke, Hope Shinn, and Shannon Delaney, and Outreach Librarian Katie Poser.

Audience

Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology

Resource type

Career profile

Topic

Ocean and coasts
Ocean currents
Technology and engineering
Buoys
ROVs, AUVs, and drones
Weather and atmosphere
Hurricanes
Weather observations

The NOAA Coordinated Hurricane Atmosphere-Ocean Sampling (CHAOS) program's goals are to improve our understanding of the role of the ocean, waves, and air-sea interactions in the development and intensification of hurricanes in order to produce more accurate and reliable models and forecasts. Learn more about the early career scientists working on this program! Early career ocean professionals are defined as people who are current graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, or within 10 years since the completion of their highest graduate degree. 

Audience

Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Climate
Climate change
Climate change impacts

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

La actividad humana genera 60 veces, o más, la cantidad de dióxido de carbono que liberan los volcanes cada año. Erupciones grandes y violentas pueden igualar la tasa de emisiones de los seres humanos en las pocas horas que duran, pero son muy poco frecuentes y muy breves en comparación a las emisiones humanas anuales. De hecho, varios estados de los Estados Unidos emiten individualmente más dióxido de carbono en un año que todos los volcanes del planeta combinados.

Audience

Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Climate
Climate change
Climate change impacts
Climate data monitoring

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

El calentamiento global se refiere solo a la temperatura de la superficie de la Tierra, mientras que el cambio climático incluye el calentamiento los "efectos secundarios" de este calentamiento—como son los glaciares que se derriten, tormentas de lluvia más severas o las sequías más frecuentes. Dicho de otra manera, el calentamiento global es un síntoma del mayor problema del cambio climático causado por los seres humanos.

Audience

Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science
Social studies

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Climate
Climate change
Climate change impacts
Resiliency and mitigation

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

No hay una sola forma para detener o frenar el calentamiento global, y cada individuo, empresa, municipio, estado, tribu y entidad federal debe analizar sus opciones de acuerdo al conjunto único de sus propias circunstancias.

Audience

Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science
Social studies

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Climate
Climate change
Climate change impacts
Resiliency and mitigation

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

En todo el país, el costo de los desastres meteorológicos y relacionados con el clima ya está aumentando, y es probable que la tendencia continúe a medida que muchos eventos extremos se hagan más frecuentes y graves. Los efectos económicos de los eventos extremos incluyen no sólo los daños directos, sino también la pérdida de productividad y la interrupción a servicios esenciales y a cadenas de suministro que pueden extenderse con profundidad en la economía nacional.