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  • Winter
  • 2024
  • » Cross Timbers Ecoregion
  • Winter
  • 2024

Cross Timbers Ecoregion

Texas is home to 10 different Gould’s ecoregions as seen on the map below. Ecoregions are areas of land that share similar climate, topography and soils. In this series, we will dive into each of Texas’ 10 ecoregions one Critter Connections issue at a time. Next up – the Cross Timbers!
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Lesson Plans

Take your Critter Connections beyond science and reading with additional enrichment resources!

K, 1, 2, 3
Camouflage Creatures
Students will explore physical characteristics, such as camouflage as an adaptation used by animals for protection.

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5, 6, 7, 8
Studying Succession
Students will discover how succession contributes to the sustainability of an ecosystem, including its wildlife. They will identify and compare primary and secondary successional events and determine how succession affects plant and animal habitats.

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K, 1, 2, 3
Texas Ecoregion Puzzle
Students will identify the basic needs of various animals in the ecoregions of Texas while emphasizing good stewardship practices.

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4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Texas Ecoregion Puzzle
Students will identify animals, plants, and habitats that exist among the ecoregions of Texas. Ecoregion biodiversity will provide reasons for making good choices regarding stewardship practices.

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RELATED VIDEO LESSONS

Distance Learning

Bring wildlife into your classroom with on-demand programs designed for K-8 students! Videos are 15-45 minutes long and are available 24/7. All programs include interactive questions and follow-along worksheets that are aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards.

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⏱︎ 14 min.

Frog Life Cycle

Investigate and compare how plants and animals undergo a series of orderly changes during their life cycles and explore the basic needs and physical characteristics that allows a frog to survive through each stage of its life cycle.

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Bats-A-Billion

Discover the unique body structures that allow live bats to fly, explore these flying mammals' adaptations, such as echolocation, and identify their basic needs and diverse habitats.

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External Resources

Bat Connect-the-Dots Activity
  • Exploring Nature
Eastern Spotted Skunk
  • Leo the Wildlife Ranger Animal Diaries
Frog Life Cycle – Activity
  • Exploring Nature
Gould Ecoregions of Texas
  • Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
Making Windows Safer for Birds
  • Cornell Lab K-12 Education
Maze – What Does the Bat Eat?
  • Exploring Nature
Skunk (Eastern Spotted)
  • Exploring Nature
Skunk (Spotted) Coloring Page
  • Exploring Nature
Snake Essentials for Educators
  • Science Trek
Texas Bird Bingo
  • Audubon Texas, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
Texas Bird Bingo
  • Audubon Texas, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
Bat Connect-the-Dots Activity
  • Exploring Nature
Frog Life Cycle – Activity
  • Exploring Nature
Maze – What Does the Bat Eat?
  • Exploring Nature
Skunk (Spotted) Coloring Page
  • Exploring Nature
Making Windows Safer for Birds
  • Cornell Lab K-12 Education
Skunk (Eastern Spotted)
  • Exploring Nature
Snake Essentials for Educators
  • Science Trek
Gould Ecoregions of Texas
  • Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
Eastern Spotted Skunk
  • Leo the Wildlife Ranger Animal Diaries

Additional Subjects

Word Bank

Brush Encroachment:

the spread of woody plants like trees and shrubs into grassland areas

Camouflage:

the coloration or design of an animal that allows it to blend in with its environment

Edge Habitat:

where two habitat types meet

Indicator Species:

a plant or animal whose presence reflects the health of its environment

Naturalists:

a person who studies the natural world

Succession:

the changes in an ecosystem over time

Topography:

an area’s physical shape; for example rivers, hills, and valleys

Urbanization:

process of making an area more urban
  • Identify how people in different regions of Texas earn their living, past and present.
  • Explain how physical geographic factors such as climate and natural resources have influenced the location of economic activities in Texas.
  • Identify the effects of exploration, immigration, migration, and limited resources on the economic development and growth of Texas.
  • Explain how developments in transportation and communication have influenced economic activities in Texas.
  • Find your county on the Gould Ecoregion map.
    • Which ecoregion do you live in?
  • Identify, locate, describe, and compare the physical regions of Texas.
    • Examples include Mountains and Basins, Great Plains, North Central Plains, and Coastal Plains.
    • Include characteristics such as landforms, climate, vegetation, and economic activities.
  • Identify cities within the Cross Timbers Ecoregion.
    • Explain the geographic factors such as landforms and climate that influence patterns of settlement and the distribution of population in Texas, past and present.
    • Identify and explain patterns of settlement such as the location of towns and cities in Texas at different time periods.
  • Identify ways in which Texans have adapted to and modified the environment, past and present.
    • Examples include timber clearing, agricultural production, wetlands drainage, energy production, and construction of dams.
    • Explain and compare the positive and negative consequences of human modification of the environment in Texas, past and present.
    • Explain why people have adapted to and modified their environment in Texas, past and present, such as the use of natural resources to meet basic needs, facilitate transportation, and enhance recreational activities.
  • Explain ways in which geographic factors have affected the political, economic, and social development of Texas.
    • Examples include the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, the Dust Bowl, limited water resources, and alternative energy sources.
  • Grades 4 and 7

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Blackland Prairie Ecoregion

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Close & Re-Register

Cross Timbers Ecoregion

Texas is home to 10 different Gould’s ecoregions as seen on the map below. Ecoregions are areas of land that share similar climate, topography and soils. In this series, we will dive into each of Texas’ 10 ecoregions one Critter Connections issue at a time. Next up – the Cross Timbers!
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