Welcome to NOAA's virtual exhibit at the Annual Conference for the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) offsite link. Explore this collection of resources, funding opportunities, educator guides, and partnerships. If you're attending the conference in Pittsburgh, come find us in-person in the central foyer in the exhibit hall!
Teachers practice using anemometers to take wind speed measurements; they will use these same instruments in their classrooms with their students to gather atmospheric data in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Image credit: Lauren Drizd)
Wednesday, November 6
Centering Culture & Equity Through Community Engagement and Evaluation (partner workshop)
Wed, November 6, 8:30am to 4:30pm, Westin Pittsburgh, Butler West
Jean Chimbirima Kayira, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry; Susana C Mateos, Antioch University New England; Libby McCann, Antioch University New England; Luciana Ranelli, Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve; Katie Lamoreaux, Youth Garden Project
Full day workshop: Gain ideas and resources to design learning opportunities that uplift equity, varied identities, cultures, and communities. This interactive session interweaves NAAEE’s Community Engagement Guidelines with culturally responsive, equitable evaluation through the eeVAL project. Some understanding of evaluation and justice is encouraged. Ideally, participants join as teams of two from an organization/community context.
Youth Mental Health in a Changing Climate: Keys to Resilience
Wed, November 6, 8:30am to 12:00pm, Westin Pittsburgh, Washington
Heather Brake, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Laura Seeff, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Sara Newman, National Park Service; Irena Steiner, HHS Office of Climate Change and Health Equity; Frank Niepold III, NOAA Climate Program Office
Half day workshop: Join environmental health experts and climate educators to bridge the gaps related to climate change and its impact on youth mental health. How can we equip our youth with mental and behavioral health tools for use during climate-related emergencies and how can our educators support these topics?
Using the New "Educating for Climate Action and Justice: Guidelines for Excellence"
Wed, November 6, 1:00 to 4:30pm, Westin Pittsburgh, Washington
Bora Simmons, National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education; Kathayoon Khalil, New England Aquarium; Martha C. Monroe, University of Florida; Lindsey Kirkland, Climate Generation; Frank Niepold III, NOAA Climate Program Office
Half day workshop: Take a deep dive into the newly published Educating for Climate Action and Justice: Guidelines for Excellence—the newest member of the NAAEE’s Guidelines for Excellence Series. The guidelines are designed to assist educators in developing and implementing effective programs that focus on climate change, address injustice, and ignite action.
Thursday, November 7
Equity and Belonging Module: Practice Meaningful Environmental Education and Community Engagement
Roundtable Discussions 1
Thu, November 7, 9:20 to 10:00am, Westin Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania West
Jean Chimbirima Kayira, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Susana C Mateos, Antioch University New England, Libby McCann, Antioch University New England, Luciana Ranelli, Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve, Katie Lamoreaux, Youth Garden Project
What practices or resources are important to you as a participant and/or facilitator in equitable environmental education? Join to discuss connections with the Equity & Belonging Module, an expansion on the NAAEE Community Engagement Guidelines. The Module offers meaningful activities for self- and group-reflection.
Highlights from eeBLUE, NAAEE’s Partnership with NOAA
Thu, November 7, 10:30am, Westin Pittsburgh, Westmoreland Central
T’Noya Thompson, NAAEE; Bronwen Rice, NOAA Office of Education
Together, NAAEE and NOAA are building capacity for environmental literacy by strengthening professional networks, disseminating best practices, and supporting high-quality STEM education. This session will highlight recent eeBLUE projects that have generated valuable insights and resources to share with environmental educators everywhere.
Poster Presentation: Using NOAA’s SOS Explorer to Build Data Literacy Skills with Global Visualizations
Thursday, November 7 1:00pm - 2:00pm, Rotunda on the second floor
Hilary Peddicord, CIRES CEEE CU Boulder (NOAA Affiliate for Office of Education, Science On a Sphere)
SOS Explorer® is used to display global environmental data in an intuitive way. A mobile app version has always been free, but now, the computer version is also free and ready to install. Come learn how to download it for yourself and take home examples of how to use it in an educational setting.
Poster Presentation: Accelerating Climate Action Through Climate Literacy
Thursday, November 7 1:00pm - 2:00pm, Rotunda on the second floor
Frank Niepold, NOAA Climate Program Office
Learn how the 2009 Climate Literacy Guide supported building a climate literate world in and outside of classrooms and how the new USGCRP updated guide can inform the next decade of efforts to build capacity and increase communities' climate literacy across the nation and world.
Poster Presentation: Climate Empowerment: CLEAN’s Climate Education Opportunities for All Learners
Thursday, November 7 1:00pm - 2:00pm, Rotunda on the second floor
Gina Fiorile, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES); Patrick Chandler, CLEAN/NOAA; Frank Niepold, NOAA Climate Program Office
The Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) is preparing tomorrow’s scientists, decision makers, and citizens to address the societal impacts of a changing climate. We will share evidence-based best practices in providing accurate, up to date information to learners and empowering them to make climate-smart decisions.
Poster Presentation: Teaching Climate Change Across Curriculum: In and Beyond Science Classrooms
Thursday, November 7 1:00pm - 2:00pm, Rotunda on the second floor
Don A Haas, The Paleontological Research Institution; Sarah Sterling-Laldee, NJ Department of Education; Patrick Chandler, CLEAN/NOAA; Frank Niepold, NOAA Climate Program Office
Preparing students and supporting society in mitigating and adapting to changing climate necessitates teaching about climate change in topics across the curriculum including science, English Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, and Art. This poster will feature resources developed by the Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) and project partners, to support these efforts.
Poster Presentation: The Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5) Educator’s Guide from CLEAN
Thursday, November 7 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST, Rotunda on the second floor
Patrick Chandler, CLEAN/NOAA; Frank Niepold, NOAA Climate Program Office
The National Climate Assessment is a major scientific report developed by several government agencies that describes climate change in the United States. This poster will introduce the assessment, explore resources that support introducing the NCA5 to students through the NCA5 Educator's Guide, and present classroom-level climate actions.
Poster Presentation: Moving Away from Being in Nature to Being in Relationship with Nature (partner poster)
Thursday, November 7 1:00pm - 2:00pm, Rotunda on the second floor
Nigora Erkaeva (SEMIS postdoc), Jim Barnes (SEMIS teacher), and Jared TenBrink (UMich doctoral student, not attending)
This hands-on session invites people to learn from a collaborative process among an indigenous scholar, third-grade teacher, and postdoc fellow. We centered indigenous ways of being in the classroom through a place-based approach to work towards diversifying our curriculum and creating a community for social and ecological sustainability.
The Call for Climate, Environmental, Nature-Based, and Ocean Education
Thu, November 7, 2:15 to 3:45pm, Westin Pittsburgh, Washington
Natalie Cox, IUCN (Moderator); Brian Coon, NGO; Frank Niepold, NOAA Climate Program Office; Sarah Schoedinger, NOAA Office of Education; Sean Southy, IUCN
Symposium: This session will outline the current state of climate, environmental, nature-based, and ocean education in North America and globally. A representative from each area of focus will share their perspectives, resources, and calls to action. The session will conclude with an audience discussion on best practices.
Friday, November 8
Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences: Outdoor Learning and Student Action
Friday, November 8, 10:30am, Westin Pittsburgh, Westmoreland Central
Elise Trelegan, NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office; Bronwen Rice, NOAA Office of Education
A Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience is a learner-centered framework for K–12 students that focuses on investigations into local environmental issues and leads to informed action. Walk away with resources to design, implement, and train others on this framework that connects classroom learning to the community and the outdoors.
The Many Faces of Environmental Literacy: Building Multiple Faceted Capacity
Friday, November 8, 2:15pm, Westin Pittsburgh, Washington
Michelle Niedermeier, PA Sea Grant; David Christopher, DE Sea Grant; Tamara Peffer, PA Department of Education; Grace Manubay, DC OSSE; Laura Collard, MAEOE; Don Haas, Paleontological Research Institution; Jennifer Peglow, Chesapeake Bay Foundation; Elise Trelegan, NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office; Candace Lutzow-Felling, Blandy Experimental Farm; Nanette Marcum-Dietrich, Millersville University
Guided by the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, networks in each of the watershed’s seven jurisdictions are actively building capacity to address their unique environmental literacy needs. Symposium members share their unique approaches with a scale and scope of responsibility and influence ranging from field educators to federal program managers.
eeBLUE Networking Event
Friday, November 8, 5:00pm, Westin Pittsburgh, Penn City Grille
Join NOAA and NAAEE for an informal networking session to connect ocean and environmental educators as part of our EEBlue partnership.
Saturday, November 9
Building Partnerships That Prepare Students for Today’s and Tomorrow’s Jobs in the Green Economy
Sat, November 9, 8:30 to 10:00am, Westin Pittsburgh, Washington
Bart Merrick, NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office (moderator); Frank Niepold, NOAA Climate Program Office; Jon Wickert, Delaware Department of Education; Dan Hinderliter, Advance CTE; Judd Pittman, Bureau of Career and Technical Education, Pennsylvania Department of Education
Dive into the dynamic world of Environmental Education (EE) and Career and Technical Education (CTE) partnerships! Explore how EE helps to contextualize and foster essential skills for tackling environmental challenges, like climate change. Join us to learn about initiatives in CTE and unlock opportunities to integrate EE and CTE programs.
Educational Strategies for Building Climate-Ready Communities
Sat, November 9, 10:30am to 12:00pm, Westin Pittsburgh, Washington
Sarah E Schoedinger, NOAA Office of Education (Moderator); Ray F. Coleman FAU, Pine Jog Environmental Education Center; Emily Fano, National Wildlife Federation in NYC; Laura Florence, lfloren1@emich.edu; Brittany Jayroe, EcoRise; Estelle-Marie Montgomery, FH Faunteroy Community Enrichment Center; Kathryn Semmens, Nurture Nature Center
Join us to hear about the challenges and successes of education projects that are engaging their local communities in tackling the impacts and causes of climate change. Be inspired by the projects' multidisciplinary approaches that are paving the way for creating healthier, more equitable, and climate-ready communities.
Centering Indigenous Ways of Knowing in Environmental Education (partner session)
Sat, November 9, 10:30am to 12:00pm, Westin Pittsburgh, Westmoreland Central
Nigora Erkaeva (SEMIS postdoc), Jim Barnes (SEMIS teacher), and Jared TenBrink (UMich doctoral student, not attending)
We invite people to experience parts of a curriculum that consists of three-week lesson plans on indigenous food sources centered on indigenous history, wisdom, knowledge, and cultural practices to teach about environmental justice and its significance in community building.
Climate Literacy Guide (new!)
Just released in September 2024, the new Climate Literacy: Essential Principles for Understanding and Addressing Climate Change presents information that is important for individuals and communities to know and understand about Earth’s climate, the impacts of climate change, and solutions. Principles in the guide can serve as discussion starters or launching points for learning about the climate crisis and what’s being done to address it across the world. The guide aims to promote greater climate literacy by providing this educational and communication framework of principles and concepts.
Educator’s Guide to the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience offsite link
The Educator’s Guide to the MWEE is designed for users with varying levels of familiarity with the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE). The guide describes the power of the MWEE approach, defines the essential elements and supporting practices, and provides planning documents to develop your own experience. The educator’s guide was developed by the Chesapeake Bay Program offsite link in partnership with NOAA but content is relevant to other geographic areas. Be sure to check out the MWEE 101 and MWEE 201 online courses to learn more!
Environmental Literacy Program (ELP) Resilience Hub
NOAA’s Environmental Literacy Program (ELP) maintains a website for NOAA-related resilience resources. This site includes the recently published ELP Community Resilience Education Theory of Change. You can peruse the agency's resilience-related assets, and explore ELP-funded resilience projects past and present. NOAA recently announced eight new awards, receiving a total of $3.5 million, that will continue to build foundations for resilient communities through education.
Ocean Literacy Resources offsite link
With the support of NOAA, the National Marine Educators Association (NMEA) offsite link has developed an extensive ocean literacy framework made up of the Ocean Literacy Guide, the Ocean Literacy Scope and Sequence for Grades K–12 offsite link, and the Alignment of Ocean Literacy to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) offsite link. This framework presents a vision of an ocean-literate society and outlines the knowledge required to be considered ocean literate. We recommend you see the NMEA Ocean Literacy page offsite link for additional resources and information about these efforts.
Toolbox for teaching climate & energy
NOAA Climate.gov and a community of educational and science partners have developed and organized a toolbox of supporting resources and programs for those who want to teach climate and energy science. Backed by some of the nation's most experienced professional educators, scientists, and engineers, the toolbox uses the Climate Action Learning Process to provide a path for teachers to follow in educating students, while also developing the skills to take action and reevaluating teaching methods.
Search through hundreds of free educational resources on the ocean, coast, Great Lakes, weather, atmosphere, and climate. Explore our lessons, data resources, videos, posters, and much more in our new NOAA Sea to Sky database!
Climate.gov
The federal climate portal is a one-stop-shop for your climate teaching needs! This climate education portal was built so both formal and informal educators can incorporate climate science into their classes and programs. Search within the “Teaching Climate” tab to find rigorously reviewed educational resources around energy and climate topics and foster a community that supports learning about climate and energy topics from the CLEAN portal offsite link.
Climate Resilience in Your Community activity book
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.
Coral reef resources
Discover exciting ways to teach about corals and coral reefs with the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program. Highlights include information on how to 3D-print your very own coral polyp and an interactive coral reef with photos and facts.
Data in the Classroom
This interactive module is designed to help teachers and students use real scientific data to explore dynamic Earth processes and understand the impact of environmental events on a regional and global scale. Can ocean conditions support the growth and survival of marine life, both now and in the future? Data in the Classroom provides authentic research questions and scaled data interactions that give students the opportunity to explore this question (and more).
Deep Ocean Exploration Project offsite link
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.
Estuary education
Educators and estuary enthusiasts will find a variety of resources about the National Estuarine Research Reserve System — a network of 29 coastal sites designated to protect and study estuarine systems. This information will help educators share the wonders of estuaries with students and others.
JetStream: An online school for weather
JetStream, the National Weather Service Online Weather School, is designed to help educators, emergency managers, or anyone interested in learning about weather and weather safety. This portal includes comprehensive, well-organized, colorfully illustrated resources designed to help teach about the wonders and dangers that abound in the Earth's atmosphere.
National Ocean Service education resources
NOAA’s National Ocean Service hosts resources and programs for educators, students, and kids who want to learn more about our ocean and coasts. From active professional development programs, content, and resources to Earth science topics like corals, tides, and global positioning, you’re bound to find something that fits your needs!
NOAA Marine Debris Program resources
The NOAA Marine Debris Program and its partners offer free, downloadable education and outreach materials for people of all ages to learn about marine debris. Everyone has a role to play in raising awareness about this growing issue, so spread the word to help keep the sea free of debris.
NOAA Satellites: Data to predict and protect our world
The U.S. relies on NOAA satellites to predict all US and global weather. NOAA Satellites generate vital advance warnings for severe weather events helping us to make informed decisions on everything from population evacuations to flight patterns.
Ocean Exploration education themes
These education theme pages are designed to provide the best of what the Ocean Explorer website has to offer. Topics include marine archaeology, the Arctic, bioluminescence, seamounts, deep-sea canyons, deep-sea corals, cold seep, vents and volcanoes, and more!
Sanctuaries 360° virtual reality lessons
NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries just released five lessons for middle school students that align with virtual visits to our national marine sanctuaries. Follow along with the NGSS-aligned lessons that bring students into our sanctuaries to learn about America's underwater treasures. Videos can be viewed on a computer, tablet, phone, or virtual reality headset for an optimal viewing experience.
SOS Explorer®
The SOS Explorer® free app animates the world right on your smartphone or PC. As a pocket-sized version of NOAA’s Science On a Sphere®, this app invites you to zoom in on specific interests, from the squiggly warm and cold lines of the world's ocean currents to the power of tsunami waves, the effects of climate change, and a view of Saturn’s rings.
Coastal Ecosystem Learning Center Network
The Coastal Ecosystem Learning Center (CELC) Network is a consortium of 25 aquariums and marine science education centers located in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. From youth summits to multi-institution projects, the CELC Network works together to engage the public in protecting coastal and marine ecosystems. By coordinating CELC, NOAA’s Office of Education brings NOAA science, guidance, and resources to these institutions and the 20 million people they reach every year across North America.
eeBLUE offsite link
eeBLUE is a five-year partnership between NOAA Office of Education and NAAEE to help create a more environmentally literate society that has the knowledge, skills, and motivation to conserve our natural resources and build more resilient communities across the country. Partnership activities strengthen professional networks, support high-quality STEM education, and provide education and outreach for educators and other audiences.
NOAA Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET)
The NOAA B-WET program funds relevant, authentic experiential learning for K-12 students and educators through Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs). MWEEs are multistage activities that include learning both outdoors and in the classroom and aim to increase understanding and stewardship of watersheds and related ecosystems. Whether working with students directly or providing professional development to educators, B-WET grants empower students to investigate local and global environmental issues that affect their lives, choices, and communities.
NOAA Planet Stewards
This national program provides resources (a biweekly newsletter, a book club, and more!) and funding up to $2,500 for educators working with elementary through university age students so they can build scientifically-literate communities and engage in hands-on stewardship in response to environmental challenges.