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This paper is dedicated to horse chesnut as a suitable model organism for teaching botany at all levels of our schools. Horse chestnut is literally predisposed to didacticisation in botany teaching due to its general distribution, large and conspicuous organs; we are basically sure that pupils really know it. The paper focuses mainly on the morphological and anatomical characters that can be demonstrated during teaching biology; topics that are conspicuously or typically developed - firstly its origin (geographic and etymological), later it is devoted to vegetative and finally reproductive organs. The parasite horse-chestnut leaf miner is also discussed. It provides a description of all aspects and broader contexts that can be beneficial in school teaching; this paper does not attempt to present this information in the form of a project proposal or comprehensive activities, rather it should inspire and encourage laboratory and field work in biology classes in common ways - we believe that teachers will choose activities that are appropriate for their teaching. In addition to botanical content, the paper also links to the teaching of microbiology or chemistry to facilitate the use of interdisciplinary topics both in biology and in the natural sciences. The paper is divided in two following up parts; this part focuses on common characteristics and vegetative organs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is dedicated to horse chesnut as a suitable model organism for teaching botany at all levels of our schools. Horse chestnut is literally predisposed to didacticisation in botany teaching due to its general distribution, large and conspicuous organs; we are basically sure that pupils really know it. The paper focuses mainly on the morphological and anatomical characters that can be demonstrated during teaching biology; topics that are conspicuously or typically developed-firstly its origin (geographic and etymological), later it is devoted to vegetative and finally reproductive organs. The parasite horse-chestnut leaf miner is also discussed. It provides a description of all aspects and broader contexts that can be beneficial in school teaching; this paper does not attempt to present this information in the form of a project proposal or comprehensive activities, rather it should inspire and encourage laboratory and field work in biology classes in common ways-we believe that teachers will choose activities that are appropriate for their teaching. In addition to botanical content, the paper also links to the teaching of microbiology or chemistry to facilitate the use of interdisciplinary topics both in biology and in the natural sciences. The paper is divided in two following up parts; this is the second part that focuses on reproductive organs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field trips are important part of biology lessons because they enable to connect the theoretical and practical part of teaching and to present the products of nature in their natural environment. This proposal is focused on field trip during winter season in which the students observe the birds on non-frozen bodies of water and it is intended for primary and lower secondary students. Both field trips are divided into initial phase at school, the phase in the field and the summary performed at school again. Students in both cases solve the worksheets and learn to cooperate in the group during dealing with different tasks. These tasks are designed as lower levels of inquiry so these worksheets are suitable for students with minimal inquiry experience. They will also learn how to recognize different species of birds and observe their behavior, which are the main research procedures in vertebral zoology. The field trip was performed with the students from primary level and students from lower cycle of grammar school. We present both modification of worksheets in this paper based on different age of students. It was verified that proposed materials are applicable into the practice at both selected educational levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molluscs are tightly connected with their environment and also have significant relations to other organisms. They can be used as model group for presentation of various ecological interactions. This paper presents an outline of excursion to mollusc-rich place boulder site Výrovka in PLA Křivoklátsko (Central Bohemia, Czech Republic) focused on such information. The main goal of the field trip is to examine locally specific environment and various organisms, namely land snails, and put them into context using ecological terms. This enables the understanding of concept of ecology. The supporting material can be found at vyrovka.8u.cz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chlupáč's Museum of Earth History is a unique academic museum focusing on the development of the planet Earth from the perspective of both living and inanimate nature, which is primarily intended for teaching university students. However, its clarity, and, in a sense, its compactness, allows it to be used to educate students at lower levels of education, especially if accompanied by explanatory commentary. The museum was created on the basis of original geological-paleontological collections amassed at the Faculty of Science of Charles University, after World War II, from several Prague universities. The collections were inaccessible to the public until the turn of the millennium, when it was decided to renovate and rebuild the museum and open it to the public for at least a limited amount of time. The museum's (own) exhibition is a comprehensive set of fossil materials, illustrative models, and information posters describing the evolution of the Earth from its origins to the present day. It is supplemented by examples of some paleoecological relationships in selected periods and unique visual reconstructions. Since its official opening, the museum has been used by numerous schools (especially secondary schools) to supplement or replace geological science teaching. Currently, students on school excursions are key visitors to the museum. In addition to lectures organized by the museum, students can also complete worksheets, which make the material easier to interpret and memorize. In the future, the museum could certainly be used more intensively to complement the teaching of geology, which is a very neglected area at secondary schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]