A hotter planet makes conditions for fires more likely and a warmer ocean can fuel stronger storms—including hurricanes. To better understand the ocean, weather, and climate connection, join NOAA Climatologist Tom Di Liberto as he examines  “wild weather” in this video explaining recent wild weather, including the fires out west. Gain insight into how meteorologists and climatologists use technology and human skill to create reliable weather and climate forecasts.

Other resources for students:

• National Weather Service (NWS) Wildfire safety
• NWS wildfire safety tips video
• NWS Seasonal Safety Campaign 
• Smokey Bear for Kids
• Smokey Bear for Educators, K-2 and middle school activities and materials.

Join NOAALive! and get a sneak peek at what NOAA scientists do all across the country! Students in grades 2nd-8th can connect with scientists and ask questions in real-time via a moderator. During the 2020-2021 school year, NOAA Live! will be on Wednesdays at 4 pm ET (with live American Sign Language interpretation). Next up:

• Oysters: Nature's Vacuum Cleaner with Harriet Booth, Woods Hole Sea Grant and Cape Cod Cooperative Extension in Barnstable, MA – Wednesday, November 4, 4 p.m. ET

Register to attend! Click here for a full list of both upcoming and past recorded webinars.

In collaboration with NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and Pacific Northwest College of Art present the Life Cycle of the Pacific Salmon, a vivid 5-minute animation that takes viewers through each stage of the Pacific salmon's life, the different habitats on which salmon depend, and the natural and human-made challenges they face throughout their lives. A curriculum, board games, and children’s book are also available:

• Curriculum: The An Incredible Journey curriculum for grades 4-5 is filled with 10 hands-on lesson plans;
• Board Game; The Salmon Survival board game (Spanish) walks participants through the
       salmon life cycle.
• Book; The An Incredible Journey children's book (Spanish) introduces elementary schoolers
   to the salmon life cycle and concepts 

During this challenging time, AMS is offering teachers a special one-time opportunity and waiving all course fees for the first 25 participants that are successfully matched to a mentor team for each of the three online Spring 2021 DataStreme courses (that’s 75 teachers in total!) 

Teachers have faced enormous pressure through the pandemic, and AMS wants to make things a bit easier for those seeking to learn more about weather, ocean, and/or climate science. Approved participants will earn three accredited graduate credits per course. More than 22,000 teachers have completed a DataStreme course, helping them leverage real time data in their classrooms, advance their careers, inspire their students, and become science leaders in their schools and communities. 

Teachers can fill out the DataStreme Interest Form right now to get matched with a mentor for the spring semester!

Monday, November 9th, National Earth Science Teachers Association Online Resource Collection

On Monday, November 9th, from 2:00-3:00pm ET educators will share their experiences in transitioning from in-person work-based learning programs for high school and college students to a virtual format. Presenters will provide an overview of their programs, descriptions of the adaptations they’ve made to ensure a meaningful experience under the constraints of a global pandemic, outline lessons learned and offer insights into how the virtual experience can influence subsequent in-person programming. 

Register Here

November 14th, 7:00pm EST; SETI Lecture Webinar: 7:30-8:30pm EST

The study of animal communication challenges our intelligence and informs our search for  Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). Among the most fascinating and sophisticated of vocalizations arethe sounds and songs of humpback whales. Laurance Doyle, Ph.D., Research Scientist with the SETI Institute, will discuss his studies with humpback whales as he tries to  understand communications that exist throughout Planet Earth and beyond. Register Here.

Dec. 3rd, 7-8pm EST

Deep-sea corals live in some of the least studied ecosystems on Earth, yet provide crucial support for fisheries and many other ecosystem services. Heather Coleman, Coordinator of NOAA’s Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program, will discuss little-known deep-sea coral facts and research updates, as well as teaching tools on the topic. She will also cover policies the US has created to protect deep-sea coral habitats from damage, and remaining threats.

Find out more and register here.

A NEW open-access, on-demand course, is being offered by OSU’s Extension Service Outdoor School Professional and Continuing Education team. The course supports educators incorporating culturally responsive indigenous studies concepts into outdoor education curriculum and programming. Course content applies broadly to all outdoor and experiential education. Learn more & register.

Nov. 4th and Dec. 2nd 

• The Ktunaxa story of Lightning, Thunder, Fox, and Coyote | Nov 4, 7:30–8:30 p.m. EST | Presented by Joe Pierre, a storyteller raised in the Community of ʔaqʾam, formerly known as the St. Mary’s Indian Reserve, and a citizen of the Ktunaxa Nation.
• Practical Approaches to Teaching Outside in Cold Weather | Dec 2, 7:30 pm EST. | Falling temperatures are a source of concern as winter approaches. Join this interactive webinar with four Saskatchewan-based teachers, each focusing on different age groups, to ask questions and hear insights about practical approaches to teaching outside in cold weather.

Learn more & register>

This YouTube channel was created to share professional development content, recordings, and live sessions in support of distance learning. Videos share tips for using “Zoom”, virtual tools, and much more!. Check out the videos here.

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Understanding Global Change is your free online toolkit for discovering why the climate and environment changes, your place in the Earth system, and paths to a resilient future. The goal of this website is to provide a broad yet approachable introduction to global climate change processes and the causes of environmental and climate change. If you are interested in this topic or teaching science, this website is for you! Teaching Resources are also available.

Exploring Energy: A Virtual Workshop series offers interesting and interactive dives into activities aligned with real research! The workshops are designed for grade school and high school students to tune in virtually either independently from home or together in a classroom. Register your classroom or family for one or all three of the workshops below:

• Albedo and Our Warming Planet Workshop, November 13, 2020 - 1:00pm - Intended for students grades 6-9, but appropriate for 4-11 

• Pipe Cleaner Polymers Workshop,  November 20, 2020 - 1:00pm - Intended for students grades 2-8

• Wind Energy Exploration Workshop, December 04, 2020 - 1:00pm - Intended for students grades 2-8

The Scripps-Rady Ocean Plastic Pollution Challenge is a unique 6-month accelerator program focused on identifying effective, evidence-based approaches that will curb the flow of plastic into the ocean, with a specific focus on marine conservation and marine cultural preservation areas along California’s coast. The program runs January - June, 2021. Participants will engage in a series of virtual short courses, virtual team-based research, and a final two-day challenge to pitch solutions to an expert panel. More info about the program can be found here.

WORLD OCEAN RADIO is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays on a wide range of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. 

Part eleven of the multi-part BLUEprint series focuses on Equity. A blueprint for the future is laid out, with the intent to realize equity through a vision for solutions, and how we can move forward to transform the world we live in today. The podcast is available at: worldoceanobservatory.org/wor/realizing-equity.

World Ocean Radio is available for RSS feed and for broadcast by college and community radio stations worldwide. Find it at iTunes or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. If you prefer the written word, visit Medium.com/@TheW2O to read the blog. 

ANGARI Foundation and the University of Florida Thompson Earth Systems Institute's Scientist in Every Florida School initiative are back with another exciting semester of LIVE Ocean Expert Exchange webinars!

• Experts share their marine science research & fieldwork
• Audiences of all ages welcome
• Livestream via Zoom (registration required) & YouTube Live
• Supplemental educational resources provided

To register or learn more about upcoming webinars, click the banner images below. Unable to make the live events? Recordings will be available!

The Solar Decathlon has started a series of 10 virtual sessions with topics ranging from tours of houses with innovative designs, to residential energy usage, to jobs in the energy sector. Next up: a virtual hands-on energy workshop for families on November 18. These webinars cater specifically to current and prospective homeowners, educators, students and young professionals, renovation contractors and builders, and others interested in viewing state-of-the-art homes. See the series and sign up here.

The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Mesa Lab remains closed due to COVID-19, but do not fear—Super Science Saturday will prevail! They're bringing the event to you virtually on November 7, with a full day of exciting online demos and experiments from augmented reality to infrared radiation to the physics behind medieval trebuchets.

The event is free and will be live streamed all day—join as many presentations as you wish by following this link.

Grab your lab coats and goggles, it’s time to get into character because the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) wants students to tell us all about their dream future STEM job! For the November competition, pick a specialized STEM occupation and tell us all about it. Twelve prizes will be awarded. Visit the ORISE website for more information.

Over the summer, the NOAA Data in the Classroom team asked for feedback about how to best support teacher's this year. In response, they’ve developed some new, easy-to-use resources for teachers and students, particularly those who continue to teach classes virtually. Learn about the new resources below.

New Resources:

• Fillable worksheets (PDF): These are easy to send, electronically fill out, and return from any device. Currently available for two modules: Understanding Sea Level & Understanding Ocean & Coastal Acidification.
• Editable worksheets (PPT): These allow you to quickly add to (or edit) existing resources for your grade level and course. Currently available for two modules: Understanding Sea Level & Understanding Ocean & Coastal Acidification.
• Integrating Modules into Curriculum (PDF): These new supporting resources show teachers where and how they might integrate the modules into a middle or high school level course. Currently available for all modules: El Nino, Sea Level, Water Quality, Coral Bleaching and Ocean & Coastal Acidification.

The Paleontological Research Institution has a new free virtual exhibit on climate: Changing Climate: Our Future, Our Choice. This online exhibit is based on the Changing Climate: Our Future, Our Choice exhibit that opened in the Museum of the Earth this November 2020. Check it out!

Experience thought-provoking presentations by diverse regional and national environmental experts and become inspired to use the many strategies and tactics you will learn to transform your local community. You will have the opportunity to virtually and interactively network with leading nature professionals.

To see the 2020 Naturally Latinos Conference Agenda & Schedule, click here. To Register, click here.

Young people from around the world are invited to the 10th anniversary virtual Youth Ocean Conservation Summit on Saturday, December 5, 2020. This first of its kind digital YOCS, hosted in partnership with Mote Marine Laboratory, will unite long time Summit supporters, alumni, and collaborators alongside an international network of young conservation leaders, for an impactful event empowering participants with the knowledge, tools, and funds needed to launch solutions-oriented ocean conservation projects to protect our blue planet. This year’s Summit keynote will be delivered by explorer, filmmaker, and environmental advocate, Philippe Cousteau, and will feature an incredible line-up of speakers and activities. The Summit is FREE, but pre-registration is required. 

Register for this year’s event by November 30 here!