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

Subject

Earth science
ELA (English Language Arts)
Engineering and technology
Life science
Math
Physical science

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Lesson plan
Module/unit
Collection

Topic

Climate
Carbon cycle
Climate change impacts
Freshwater
Water cycle
Marine life
Coral reef ecosystems
Life in an estuary
Ocean and coasts
Ocean acidification
Weather and atmosphere
El Niño and La Niña

NGSS DCI

ESS2: Earth’s Systems
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
PS1: Matter and Its Interactions

Special categories

Instructional strategies
Hands-on
Informal
Inquiry
Models
Uses data

Collection name

Data in the Classroom

Data in the Classroom has structured, student-directed lesson plans that use historical and real-time NOAA data. The five modules address research questions and include stepped levels of engagement with complex inquiry investigations with real-time and past data.

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science
Life science
Math
Physical science

Resource type

Data product
Easy-to-use data product

Topic

Marine life
Invertebrates
Life in an estuary

Special categories

Instructional strategies
Outdoor education

The jellyfish often encountered in the Chesapeake Bay in the summer is the sea nettle (Chrysaora chesapeakei). Knowing where and when to expect this biotic nuisance may help to alleviate an unpleasant encounter. These maps are experimental and depict the probability of encountering sea nettles (not their abundance or density) in the Chesapeake Bay area. The density of sea nettles that you may encounter is not reflected here because it can vary greatly from year to year at a given location and would be a much less reliable prediction.

Audience

Grade K-2
Grade 3-5

Subject

Life science

Resource type

Coloring/activity book

Topic

Marine life
Ecosystems
Fish
Invertebrates
Life in an estuary

Special categories

Printable

Enjoy this short coloring book from the North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve. 

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Activity/demonstration
Lesson plan
Background information
Collection
Coloring/activity book
Multimedia
Video

Topic

Marine life
Aquatic food webs
Ecosystems
Fish
Invertebrates
Life in an estuary
Seaweed, algae, and aquatic plants
Ocean and coasts
Ocean currents

Explore this collections of lessons, activities, videos, coloring pages, and field guides from the North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve on life in that estuary.

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Background information
Collection

Topic

Freshwater
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Marine life
Coral reef ecosystems
Life in an estuary
Ocean and coasts
Ocean currents
Tides
Technology and engineering
GPS and geodesy

Dive into tutorials on corals, estuaries, global positioning, pollution, ocean currents, and tides. Learn the basics about these topics and how they are a part of NOAA's work.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Marine life
Life in an estuary
Weather and atmosphere
Weather observations

At the Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve, a new community of students is getting their boots wet gathering data through a new program that serves the children of migrant farmers.

Audience

Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science
Life science

Resource type

Career profile

Topic

Climate
Carbon cycle
Climate change
Climate change impacts
Marine life
Coral reef ecosystems
Ecosystems
Life in an estuary
Seaweed, algae, and aquatic plants
Ocean and coasts
Earth processes

Read an interview with Ariane Arias-Ortiz, a 2019-2021 NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellow at University of California Berkeley’s Biometeorology Lab. Ariane studies carbon storage in coastal saltwater and freshwater wetlands. Her work holds significant, immediate implications for reducing global carbon emissions through wetlands restoration. 

Audience

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

Subject

Humanities/liberal arts
Life science

Resource type

Career profile

Topic

NOAA careers
Marine life
Marine mammals

Dr. Kristine Laidre is a marine mammal biologist who works at the Polar Science Center in the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington collecting and analyzing information on marine mammals. Read the full text of Kristine's interview below to learn more about her job.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Engineering and technology
Earth science
Life science
Physical science

Resource type

Career profile

Topic

NOAA careers
Technology and engineering
Freshwater
Great Lakes ecoregion

Learn more about Great Lakes biologist Dave Faslow. Read this Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory interview with Dave to learn more about the lab's fluoroprobe, along with a decades-old scientific mystery that still haunts him and a fear he had to overcome on the job.

Audience

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

Subject

Humanities/liberal arts
Engineering and technology
Life science

Resource type

Career profile
Video
Multimedia

Topic

NOAA careers
Marine life
Marine mammals

Watch this video to find out more about Southern Resident killer whales, the threats they face, and how we are studying them from a NOAA biologist.