About This Site

Education resources are distributed across many websites and program offices at NOAA and on NOAA partner websites. This portal is designed to assist educators in accessing these materials from one centralized interface. The content here is a sampling of NOAA's education resources and more can be found at each linked location. Materials selected for this site are organized by Themes, topical Collections, and content type that are aligned with common teaching topics and expressed needs of educators. Linked resources are organized into Collections which provide the user with a toolkit of materials and activities suitable for integration into a variety of educational settings. Collections are not grade specific but resources are labeled for grade appropriateness where applicable. Additional NOAA resources which support educator professional development, academic scholarship, career exploration, and education grants are also available. All materials linked from this site are free for use and distribution unless expressly noted.

How Content is Organized

Ocean and Coasts

Physical and chemical processes of ocean and coastal areas

Climate

Earth's climate system and concepts related to climate variability

Weather and Atmosphere

Patterns, processes, and factors which influence Earth's weather and atmosphere

Marine Life

Biology, habits, and threats to organisms that live in aquatic environments

Freshwater

Sources, processes, and threats to freshwater environments and drinking water

Types of Content

Multimedia

Videos, images, interactive media, and graphics which assist in the understanding of the Collection topic.

Lessons & Activities

Lesson and activity plans which outline how to teach concepts related to the Collection topic. May also include specific online, classroom, or field activities that support experiential learning of concepts.

Real World Data

Data from NOAA's Earth monitoring, modeling, and measurement systems which fit the context of the Collection topic. Some resources are designed specifically for education while others are more technical.

Background

General materials to assist in understanding the context and systems that the Collection topic fits into.

Career Profiles

Video and narratives of scientists and resource managers who interact with the Collection topic as part of their work with NOAA. Profiles often include academic preparation requirements, employment pathways, and lifestyle information related to selected careers.

Articles

More technical material on new findings, methods, or unique aspects of NOAA's activites related to the Collection topic. These articles are selected from published material on NOAA websites.

Sources of Content

Content included in this site is limited to three sources:

NOAA Produced Content

Educational resources developed and published by NOAA offices and program staff.

NOAA Funded Content

Educational resources supported through NOAA grants or contracted services that have authorized for public use. Often these materials are hosted outside the noaa.gov domain.

NOAA Partnership Content

Educational resources which result from the activities of collaborative partnerships with other agencies and institutions.

Content Selection

Education resources and topical Collections are selected by NOAA staff and educators to directly support teaching of concepts and topics identified in the National Science Education Standards. Additionally, several state standards and common classroom texts were consulted to identify common naming and grouping patterns of topics. Direct input from educators at conferences and through other forums on an ongoing basis also helps shape the content of this site.

Each Collection contains 15-25 finely grained resources vetted by the NOAA education team to support teaching in formal and informal settings. The key characteristics of the resources in the Collections are::

• Provide real world and current science .
• Relevant to science education teaching requirements in formal settings
• Fine grained components that educators can use individually or mix and match to enhance current teaching.
• Technically functional, scientifically accurate, and use educational best practices.
• Actively engage learners in scientific activities and discussions aimed at critical thinking and problem solving.
• Are easy to use
• Are easily editable, modifiable, printable and/or displayed..