NOAA Sea to Sky: Education resource database

⚠️ This page recently underwent an update. If you had bookmarked direct links to search results from this page prior to March 18, 2024, those links may no longer work and you may need to make a new bookmark. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us at education@noaa.gov.

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 6-8
Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science
Social studies

Resource type

Background information
Collection
Data product
Easy-to-use data product
Intermediate data product

Topic

Climate
Changing seasons
Climate change
Climate change impacts
Climate data monitoring
Resiliency and mitigation
Weather and atmosphere
Drought
Fires
Hazards and safety
Weather observations
Weather systems and patterns

Special categories

Safety/preparedness

Heat related illnesses and death are largely preventable with proper planning, education, and action. Heat.gov serves as the premier source of heat and health information for the nation to reduce the health, economic, and infrastructural impacts of extreme heat. Heat.gov is the web portal for the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS). This website includes data, forecasts, safety information, and much more.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science
Life science
Social studies

Resource type

Collection
Multimedia
Video

Topic

Climate
Climate change
Climate change impacts
Cryosphere
Resiliency and mitigation
Marine life
Aquatic food webs
Coral reef ecosystems
Ecosystems
Fish
Fisheries and seafood
Invertebrates
Marine mammals
Sea turtles
Seabirds
Sharks, rays, and skates
Ocean and coasts
Harmful algal blooms
Maritime archaeology and history
Ocean acidification
Ocean currents
Ocean exploration
Ocean floor features
Ocean pollution and marine debris
Oil spills
Rip currents
Sea level rise
Tsunamis
Technology and engineering
Weather and atmosphere
El Niño and La Niña
Hazards and safety
Hurricanes
Weather observations
Weather systems and patterns

Special categories

Cultural heritage
Safety/preparedness

Collection name

Ocean Today

Watch. Explore. Discover. View the beauty and mystery of the ocean realm captured on video around the globe. Videos are organized into collections to help educators.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology

Resource type

Data product
Easy-to-use data product
Multimedia
Mobile app

Topic

Climate
Climate data monitoring
Technology and engineering
Buoys
Satellites
Weather and atmosphere
Clouds
Weather observations
Weather systems and patterns

Special categories

Instructional strategies
Education at home
Hands-on
Models
Outdoor education
Safety/preparedness

Collection name

Science On a Sphere catalog

SOS Explorer® (SOSx) is a flat screen version of the widely popular Science On a Sphere® (SOS). The revolutionary software takes SOS datasets, usually only seen on a 6-foot sphere in large museum spaces, and makes them more accessible. The visualizations show information provided by satellites, ground observations and computer models.

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science
Social studies

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Climate
Weather and atmosphere
Hurricanes
Weather systems and patterns

NOAA studied about four decades of tropical cyclones revealing the surprising result that reducing particulate air pollution in Europe and North America has contributed to an increase in the number of tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic basin and a decrease in the number of these storms in the Southern Hemisphere. The study also found that the growth of particulate pollution in Asia has contributed to fewer tropical cyclones in the western North Pacific basin. 

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
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

Resource type

Related story

Topic

Climate
Climate change
Climate change impacts
Climate data monitoring

Special categories

Other languages
Spanish

En realidad, desde diversos puntos de vista, es más difícil pronosticar el tiempo para dentro de dos semanas que pronosticar el clima con décadas de anticipación. 

Audience

Grade 6-8
Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science
Engineering and technology
Life science
Physical science
Social studies

Resource type

Career profile
Collection

Topic

Climate
Climate change
Climate change impacts
Climate data monitoring
Cryosphere
Marine life
Ecosystems
Ocean and coasts
Ocean acidification
Ocean chemistry
Ocean exploration
Ocean floor features
Technology and engineering
ROVs, AUVs, and drones
Ships and planes
Weather and atmosphere

Learn all about the incredible staff who work for NOAA Research! This page provides dozens of career profiles from many fields within NOAA.

Audience

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

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Activities, lessons, and units
Lesson plan
Module/unit

Topic

Climate
Climate change
Climate data monitoring
Cryosphere
Freshwater
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution
Ocean chemistry
Ocean currents
Ocean pollution and marine debris
Weather and atmosphere
Hurricanes
Weather observations

NGSS DCI

ESS2: Earth’s Systems
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
ETS1: Engineering Design
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
PS1: Matter and Its Interactions

Special categories

Grantee resource
Instructional strategies
Hands-on
Outdoor education
Uses data

Collection name

B-WET grantee

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.