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.”
- Activities, lessons, and units (242)
- Arts and crafts (7)
- Background information (269)
- Career profile (96)
- Citizen science project (12)
- Collection (201)
- Coloring/activity book (38)
- Contest (4)
- Data product (170)
- Job seeker resource (11)
- Multimedia (570)
- NOAA Education resource collection (25)
- Poster/brochure (31)
- Related story (185)
- Climate (306)
- Freshwater (165)
- Marine life
(508)
- Adaptations (20)
- Aquatic food webs (64)
- Coral reef ecosystems (90)
- Conservation (39)
- Ecosystems (133)
- Endangered species (22)
- Entanglement (16)
- Fish (114)
- Fisheries and seafood (126)
- Invasive marine species (9)
- Invertebrates (96)
- Life in an estuary (36)
- Marine mammals (137)
- Plankton (16)
- Salmon (25)
- Sea turtles (64)
- Seabirds (32)
- Seaweed, algae, and aquatic plants (26)
- Sharks, rays, and skates (40)
- NOAA careers (29)
- Ocean and coasts
(693)
- Earth processes (29)
- Harmful algal blooms (22)
- Maritime archaeology and history (37)
- Ocean acidification (67)
- Ocean chemistry (16)
- Ocean currents (104)
- Ocean exploration (88)
- Ocean floor features (87)
- Ocean pollution and marine debris (177)
- Ocean sounds (15)
- Oil spills (59)
- Rip currents (22)
- Sea level rise (44)
- Tides (58)
- Tsunamis (56)
- Space (50)
- Technology and engineering (301)
- Weather and atmosphere (338)
- ESS1: Earth’s Place in the Universe (2)
- ESS2: Earth’s Systems (41)
- ESS3: Earth and Human Activity (54)
- ETS1: Engineering Design (27)
- LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes (22)
- LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics (72)
- LS3: Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits (5)
- LS4: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity (26)
- PS1: Matter and Its Interactions (23)
- PS2: Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions (4)
- PS3: Energy (8)
- PS4: Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer (5)
- B-WET grantee (10)
- Data in the Classroom (6)
- Deep-sea dialogues (5)
- Diving Deeper podcast (2)
- ELP grantee (5)
- Exploring Ocean Mysteries: From Dynamic Shores to the Deep Sea (17)
- JetStream: An online school for weather (9)
- Making Waves podcast (4)
- Modeling Marine Ecosystems with Virtual Reality (4)
- National Marine Sanctuaries Webinar Series: Archived webinars (7)
- Ocean Odyssey Educators Guide (9)
- Ocean facts (3)
- Ocean Today
(263)
- Ocean Today: Danger zone (27)
- Ocean Today: Deeper dive (1)
- Ocean Today: Exploration (27)
- Ocean Today: Fix the ocean (21)
- Ocean Today: Go fish (9)
- Ocean Today: Marine life (45)
- Ocean Today: Research (40)
- Ocean Today: The future of ocean farming (1)
- Ocean Today: Trash talk (1)
- Ocean Today: Tsunami science and safety (2)
- Oysters in the Chesapeake Bay modules (4)
- Sanctuaries 360 virtual dives (7)
- Sanctuaries resource collection (6)
- Science On a Sphere catalog (12)
- SciJinks (15)
- Sea Grant podcasts (5)
- Teacher at Sea (19)
Audience
Subject
Resource type
Topic
This cross-government website designed for non-experts provides federally supported data visualizations coupled with explanations and science education to help communities prepare for challenges that will affect our coastal environments. Learn about local and global sea level change, how data is collected, future predictions and more. Search by city, state, and region to explore sea level rise, flooding, and major points.
Audience
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NGSS DCI
Special categories
Three themed modules — Ocean Food Webs, Observations and Models, and Predators and Prey — contain 21 interactive investigations. These educational modules help high school students learn how scientist use models, or data rich representations of systems, to better understand and predict changes in environmental processes in the ocean, the weather, and climate. In these investigations, students use scientific data and models — the same ones NOAA scientists use — to explore human-caused changes in ocean ecosystems and the impacts these changes have on the animals in those ecosystems. The modules also include resources for educators, including student worksheets, NGSS alignment, and presentation graphics.
Audience
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NGSS DCI
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.
Audience
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Special categories
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 information on teaching about heat, as well as data, forecasts, safety information, and much more.
Audience
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NGSS DCI
Special categories
Think about where you live. Have you ever been in a strong storm? Have you experienced flooding, a wildfire, or really hot days? These types of environmental hazards are happening more often because of climate change. Even though these events can be scary, there is so much you can do in your own community to make it better able to handle these challenges. When we work together to protect our communities from environmental hazards, we are building community resilience. In this activity book, you will learn all about community resilience and discover ways that you can make a difference. As you do the activities, keep track of your points. You will earn a badge at the end!
Audience
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NGSS DCI
Special categories
Collection name
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
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Resource type
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NGSS DCI
Special categories
The Deep Ocean Education Project is a collaboration among NOAA Ocean Exploration, Ocean Exploration Trust, and Schmidt Ocean Institute featuring high-quality ocean exploration and science education materials from the three organizations. The Deep Ocean Education Project website – launched in 2021 – is built around themes that are easily searchable, address key ocean-related phenomena, and encourage and support three-dimensional approaches to teaching and learning for K-12 education. The objective is to provide a one-stop resource hub for public, educators, and students looking for deep-sea educational materials. The website also includes information on how to connect with research vessels, including a list of upcoming events and opportunities, and live feeds of expeditions.
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Special categories
Collection name
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
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NGSS DCI
Special categories
This learning module is a cooperative effort between NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NOAA’s National Ocean Service. It informs about sea level rise, its causes, and impacts; and challenges students to think about what they can do in response. This module features an integrated educational package of grade level-appropriate (6-12) instruction and activities centered on a 23-minute video presentation. Note that the video has scheduled pauses so educators may facilitate discussions of presented topics. Discussions will extend the total viewing time of the video.
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Collection name
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. SOSx is available for free as a mobile app or desktop program.