NOAA Sea to Sky: Education resource database

How do human choices regarding the consumption and disposal of plastics impact ecosystems and our communities and what actions can we take to minimize those impacts? The Wave of Plastic Project includes five lessons to tackle this question. This unit helps students make sense of the core ideas related to issues of plastic pollution (particularly those relevant to the Chesapeake Bay watershed) by engaging in authentic interdisciplinary practice culminating in comprehensive, student-driven, informed action projects. 
 

This collection of six separate lessons includes tutorial videos for each themed lesson, except ecological field modeling.

1. Density dynamics: Experiment by creating four model bodies of water and observe how they compare. 
2. Ecological field monitoring: Get into the field and investigate the ecosystems in your local community using field equipment.
3. Glaciers: Investigate how topography came to be through glacial activity 33,000 years ago. Use geologic and physical tests to uncover the evidence left behind by the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Track and hunt down the path laid by ice giants of the past.  
4. Marine debris & microplastics: Discover how marine debris impacts the environment as you experiment with buoyancy and design a model ocean with circular currents.
5. Watersheds: Explore how we impact our water systems and the watersheds that sustain our population. Create a model coastal community and observe how pollutants travel within a watershed
6. Weather & climate: Explore the differences between weather and climate, look at real-time NOAA weather and climate data, experiment with sea level rise, and create coastal resiliency models.

This series of standards-aligned lesson plans explores issues related to marine debris and environmental stewardship. Each of these lessons focus on experiential, project-based learning to support student engagement and action. Each of these lessons are also available in Spanish or in a virtual format. 

The NOAA Coastal Ecosystem Learning Center Network hosts regular webinars featuring aquaculture experts in the field. Explore the archives or sign up for their mailing list to know about upcoming webinars. These webinars are especially useful for informal educators.

“At Home With The Bay” is a virtual series of engaging environmental education lessons taught by Galveston Bay Foundation staff. Lessons include a lab, conservation craft, talk with a Bay biologist and an activity of the week. Each lesson comes with an accompanying activity guide available for download on the website.

Dive in to learn more about fascinating deep-sea phenomena in this video series that features engaging footage from expeditions and interviews with subject matter experts.

Bioluminescence, the production of light by living organisms, is an incredible natural phenomenon that occurs in several deep-sea organisms (as well as those on land, although less common). This video interview features PhD candidate Rene Martin, who studies the evolution of deep-sea fishes and the "why" and "how" behind bioluminescence. Video courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration.

Hydrothermal vents are dynamic, diverse ecosystems that exist in the absence of sunlight. This video features scientific experts who explain the geological processes that form these other-worldly ecosystems and the biological communities that call them home. Video courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration.

Deep-ocean predators come in all shapes and sizes, but they all have limited amounts of available food. Learn more about techniques predators use to catch their prey in this video, which also features a discussion with Dr. Scott France, a marine biologist from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Video courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration.

Underwater robots play a big part in deep sea exploration. This video features interviews with experts in underwater robot engineering and operations, providing a window into who builds and operates them, the engineering design process, and what the future of ocean exploration may look like. Video courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration.