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Within the order Neuroptera (net-winged insects), we find aquatic larvae in two families: lance lacewings (Osmylidae) and spongillaflies (Sisyridae). The giant lacewing (Osmylus fulvicephalus) is the only species of the Osmylidae in the Czech Republic. The adults are diurnal or crepuscular weak-flying insects which mostly prey on small invertebrates, supplementing their diet with some pollen. Eggs are deposited in damp places, usually near fresh water. Adults have transparent spotted wings, and short, thin antennae. They have two compound eyes, as well as three ocelli in-between. Giant lacewing larvae have peculiar mouthparts which look like a thin forceps with the ends bending outwards. The body is elongated and slender and terminates in two extensible graspers bearing tiny hooks; these are used to aid in locomotion and to grasp prey. The larvae are associated with damp, mossy habitats and are amphibious. They hunt small invertebrate prey, from which they suck the body fluids with their mouthparts. Giant lacewing larvae are best collected by picking through mosses and stones along the edges of streams. The forewings of adult spongillaflies (Sisyridae) have a span of 4-10 millimeters, and their wings are grayish or brownish, folded like a roof The sessile eggs of Sisyridae are laid singly, or in groups, on objects that overhang water. Their water larvae have spindly legs, long antennae, and flexible, threadlike mouthparts. However, the second and third instars carry seven pairs of jointed, movable tracheal gills beneath their plump abdomens. Sisyridae larvae probe sponges with their long, flexible mouthparts. They are believed to feed exclusively on freshwater sponges, and they are unique among the Neuroptera in having segmented abdominal gills that function for breathing. After feeding and development, the mature larvae swim to the shore, attach to objects close to the water, and spin double-layered cocoons within which they pupate. Rearing Sisyridae larvae in the lab can be complicated due to the difficulty of keeping their sponge host and food source alive. Larval Sisyridae can be collected via a variety of methods, including taking them by hand from sponges, using benthic samplers in lo tic habitats. This paper describes the conditions for rather short-term rearing of the larvae of lance lacewings and spongilla flies and some ideas for experiments and observations in a school aquarium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fieldwork education is a mandatory part of the educational process in Czechia. Within the framework of education, it is also recommended to use interdisciplinary (intersubject) relationships. However, such fieldwork education, which would ac- centuate this interdisciplinarity, is often absent from the conceptual strategy of schools in Czechia, or interdisciplinary links are often implemented randomly in fieldwork education. Their educational potential is used only to a small extent. The aim of this paper is to describe the didactic concept of the Geocamp summer school, which took place in July 2023 in the Ralsko National Geopark with the participation of experts from GeoCamp Iceland and, from a didactic point of view, focused precisely on the development of interdisciplinary relationships within the framework of fieldwork education and mainly in the educational area of Man and Nature at the elementary school level (ISCED level 2). Emphasis was also placed on the connection with the cross-cutting topic of Environmental Education (formation of a relationship to a place). The teaching is based on the constructivist concept; it is also based on the concept of inquiry-based learning and conceptual learning, uses various forms of fieldwork, and is aimed at fulfilling cognitive, conative, but also affective educational goals and the development of several important student competencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces one of the nine national geoparks in the Czech Republic– the Region of the Knights of Blaník National Geopark. The paper explains the national geopark system and what it offers to schools. The Region of the Knights of Blaník National Geopark contains primarily ancient metamorphic and igneous rocks of the Moldanubian Zone. The paper also suggests convenient destinations, trails and information sources for school excursions and school trips. It describes two suggested excursions –to the top of Velký Blaník Hilland to the former Roudný gold mine. An interesting example of a school activity is the stone geological map in Louňovice pod Blaníkem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "atom" is a concept that students encounter in both physics and chemistry. The difficulty of the explication of this concept is that it is a highly abstract construct. Teachers use different models, analogies and metaphors during the explanation of this concept as well as various anthropomorphic formulations. However, pupils often create their own models in their minds and their ideas may differ considerably from the idea of the atom that their teachers have. The aim of this paper is to present one of the most common misconceptions, "animism", i.e., the idea that an atom is alive (that it has the characteristics of a living organism). The frequency of the occurrence of misconceptions associated with animism is illustrated with the example of research into ideas about atoms that we carried out in the Czech Republic on a set of pupils from one fourth class of an eight-year secondary grammar school and from six classes of the ninth grade from lower secondary schools as well as on a set of pre-service primary student teachers and bachelor's students of natural sciences from several Czech universities. All participants of this study were quizzed on their understanding of the concept of an atom using a one-tier diagnostic test which included some of the most common misconceptions about atoms that have been identified in international education research. In this paper, we comment in detail on the results obtained from the respondents' answers to two test items that were related to animism. Our research has shown that especially pupils from lower secondary schools and also pre-service primary student teachers have many misconceptions about the atom associated with animism. Many of them are most likely related to the fact that pupils and students confuse atoms and cells and often atoms and molecules too. The most widespread misconceptions include the idea that when an animate being dies, the atoms cleave to simpler parts and those then create new atoms, and the idea that atoms cease to exist once an animate being decomposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today´s biology curriculum at levels ISCED 2 and 3 consists of many topics like genetics, evolution, and ecology that are on the one hand very important and help students to understand complex processes that shape the environment around them, but on the other hand, are also difficult to comprehend. The main problem with these topics is that processes within their scope occur on multiple levels of biological organization that also interact among themselves in diverse ways. The biology curriculum and textbooks introduce levels of organization (molecules, cells, tissues, organisms, populations, etc.) and describe the characteristics and functions of entities at each level (like cells and their organelles). Unfortunately, in the case of the Czech Republic and other European countries, they do not sufficiently promote the connections among the levels of biological organization and concepts and processes on, and across, the levels, and therefore, they lack coherence in the presented information. This lack of coherence then easily results in misunderstandings by students of scientific concepts (like respiration or heredity). To cope with these problems, there are currently many strategies that help to promote students’ coherent understanding of biological phenomena. One of them is the Yo-Yo Strategy, that helps students to define, connect and navigate among the levels of biological organization. In the paper, we discuss how to start using this teaching and learning method successfully in class in order to influence positively students’ understanding of even very abstract biological topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of working with photographic material, whether a teacher's or a pupil's own work or downloaded from the Internet, in science teaching is on the rise with the wide availability of digital imaging technology and virtually unlimited Internet resources. This article deals with selected ethical and legal issues in regards to working with photos in the teaching of science subjects, especially biology. Although concerns related to the content of photographs may undoubtedly be valid, they are only briefly mentioned in this paper, which mainly focuses on two areas of interest. First, copyright issues related to the use of materials obtained from the Internet are discussed. Information on licensing in general and on the Creative Commons licensing system is provided, together with a summary of the current legal situation in the Czech Republic. The second focus of the article are questions related to the acceptability of photographic editing, especially alterations that may affect the meaning of the picture. Based on the existing general consensus in science and media practice, recommendations are made for handling documentary and illustrative photos in schools. The principles of the ethical use of photographs could, ultimately, be summarized into three simple rules: do no harm, do not lie, do not deceive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thematic unit Chemical Reactions was identified as a critical point and also as a key point in the chemistry curriculum in lower secondary school, based on interviews with teachers of chemistry under an OP RDE research project called "Didactics: Man and Nature A". The lowest average success of pupils in this topic in the Czech Republic and abroad is also evident from the results of the TIMSS 2007. Therefore, in this paper, we have dealt with the circumstances of this situation and its possible improvement, in a broader context. We present a study of legislative documents (the Framework Education Program for Basic Education, etc.), as well as the thematic unit in Czech chemistry textbooks for lower secondary schools, and follow with proposals for an array of experiments, experimental cycles, etc., focused on the reactivity of chemicals. The array of experiments are experimental cycles relating to copper and its compounds, which are characterized by significant color changes or changes in the state of matter of the compounds of the reaction mixture. This can be instrumental in the more precise classification of chemical reactions according to selected criteria by learners and their better understanding of chemical reactions through analyzing the course of these experiments, supplemented by simple tests for determining reaction products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]