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Bring Texas rivers and wildlife into your learning environment with free educational videos narrated by Ethan Hawke from the film Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers.
Each video includes two grade-banded Viewing Guides and a 5E Lesson Plan aligned with the Science Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
Viewing Guides
Include key vocabulary, reflection questions, short student activities, and standards connections to support student engagement with each video.
5E Lesson Plans
Provide comprehensive educator directions, standards alignment, student handouts, and activities for a deeper exploration of the science and conservation topics featured in each video.
All student-facing materials are available in English and Spanish.
Length: 3:51
Themes: River Ecosystems • Wildlife & Biodiversity • Habitat & Resources • Ecosystem Interdependence
Viewing Tip: Use this optional introductory video to provide students with a cinematic overview of Texas rivers before exploring the topics below.
Resource:
Texas is a land shaped by water. In this Deep In The Heart 2: Texas Rivers video clip (3:51), narrator Ethan Hawke highlights how rivers connect landscapes, ecosystems, and wildlife. Filmed throughout Texas, this video features stunning scenes of the Devils River, Guadalupe River, San Marcos River, Sabine River, and Neches River. Wildlife populations that flourish in and around rivers are explored, drawing attention to both the beauty and wonder of these ecosystems along with their essential role in sustaining life throughout the state.
Length: 4:44
Themes: Structures & Functions • Behavior & Survival • Habitat & Resources • Ecological Relationships • Ecosystem Stability
Science TEKS: K.12(B), K.13(B), 1.13(A), 2.13(B), 3.12(B), 4.12(B), 5.12(A)
NGSS: K-LS1-1, 1-LS1-2, 2-LS4-1, 3-LS2-1, 4-LS1-1, 5-LS2-1
Science TEKS: 6.12(A), 6.12(B), 7.12(A), 8.12(C), BIO.13(A), BIO.13(D)
NGSS: MS-LS1-5, MS-LS2-1, MS-LS2-4, HS-LS2-6, HS-LS2-8, HS-LS4-5
Science TEKS (Approved by SBOE 2021): 6(12)(A), 7(12)(A), 8(12)(A)
Social Studies TEKS: 6(3)(B), 7(9)(A), 8(11)(B)
NGSS: MS-LS2-3
Science TEKS: K.12(B), K.13(B), 1.13(A), 1.13(C), 2.12(A), 2.13(B)
NGSS: K-LS1-1, 1-LS1-2, 2-LS4-1
Native to the Americas, mountain lions range from Canada to South America. In Texas, this elusive predator lives in the rugged landscapes of South and West Texas, where canyons, rocky terrain, and dense brush provide cover. In this Deep In the Heart 2: Texas Rivers video clip (4:44), narrator Ethan Hawke introduces students to a mother mountain lion and her kittens. Animal behavior and physical structures are highlighted, as well as the elements of the environment along the lower Pecos River that allow mountain lions to thrive.
Length: 13:44
Themes: River Ecosystems • Habitat & Resources • Human Impacts on Ecosystems • Wildlife Behavior • Biodiversity • River Conservation
Science TEKS: K.12(B), 1.11(A), 1.13(A), 2.11(A), 2.13(B), 3.11(A), 3.13(A), 4.11(A), 5.12(A)
NGSS: K-LS1-1, 1-LS1-2, 2-LS4-1, 3-LS2-1, 4-LS1-1, 5-ESS3-1
Science TEKS: 6.12(A), 7.11(A), 8.12(C), BIO.13(D), ENV SYS.11(A), ENV SYS.11(B), AQUA.7(E), AQUA.14(F), AQUA.14(A)
NGSS: MS-LS2-1, MS-LS2-4, MS-ESS3-3, HS-LS2-6, HS-LS4-5
Science TEKS: 6.12(A), 7.11(A), 8.12(B)
NGSS: MS-LS2-1, MS-LS2-4, MS-LS2-5
Building dams and reservoirs on Texas rivers has long sparked debate about how to balance human water needs and the health of river ecosystems. In this Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers video clip (13:44), narrator Ethan Hawke introduces students to the unintended impacts dams have on river ecosystems. Featuring dams across the state and highlighting the Neches River ecosystem in East Texas, a history of dams is explored, followed by a look into the life of one of the river’s most playful and charismatic residents, the river otter.
Length: 9:12
Themes: Watersheds, Aquifers, Springs, Rivers • Human Impacts on Ecosystems • Biodiversity & Ecosystem Stability • Water Use & Conservation • Sustainable Water Management
Science TEKS: K.12(B), 1.11(A), 1.11(B), 2.11(A), 2.12(A), 3.11(A), 3.11(B), 4.11(A), 5.12(A)
NGSS: K-LS1-1, K-ESS3-3, K-2-ETS1-1, 3-LS4-4, 4-ESS3-1, 5-ESS3-
Science TEKS: 6.11(B), 7.11(A), 8.12(B), BIO.13(D), ENV SYS.6(B), ENV SYS.6(D), ENV SYS.11(A), ENV SYS.11(B), AQUA.14(A), AQUA.14(E)
NGSS: MS-LS2-1, MS-ESS3-4, HS-ESS3-1, HS-LS2-6
Science TEKS: BIO & ENV SYS & AQUA.4(A), BIO.13(D), ENV SYS.6(B), AQUA.10(A), AQUA.14(F)
NGSS: HS-LS2-6, HS-LS4-6, HS-LS2-7
Springs are described as “the beating heart of Texas rivers.” But what happens when this life-giving resource runs dry? In this Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers video clip (9:12), filmed along the San Antonio River and featuring the iconic windmills of South Texas, narrator Ethan Hawke explores Texas’s long and complex history of groundwater use and management. Students discover how groundwater, springs, and rivers are interconnected and how changes in groundwater availability can affect people, wildlife, and aquatic ecosystems.
