THE EDUCATIONAL TASKS OF ENVIRONMENTAL ORIENTATION IN THE CHEMISTRY TEXTBOOKS FOR THE BASIC SCHOOL OF THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC

Abstract

The article analyzes the content of the educational tasks of environmental orientation in the chemistry textbooks for the basic school of the Slovak Republic (SR). The tasks were divided into three groups: Group I – the simplest tasks for the assessment of knowledge of theoretical and factual material; tasks based on commonly used chemical substances and formulas; the simplest experimental tasks; Group II – calculation tasks, tasks based on specification, comparison, explanation, generalization, proof, systematization, etc.; laboratory tasks; Group III – tasks based on the use of textbook tables and figures; the application of the text of the textbook; making drawings, tables, diagrams; the preparation of a report, essay, and implementation of an educational project. It was found that the tasks in the textbooks are presented in two ways: in the process of introducing the teaching material and according to the results of studying a certain chapter. It was established that: the share of tasks with environmental content in the chemistry textbooks for the basic school learners of the SR is quite high – 46.24% and 49.29% for the 7th and 9th grades, respectively, with a lower percentage – 21.35% in the 8th grade textbook; the share of environmental educational projects in grades 7 and 9 is 100%; in the course of organic chemistry, the share of ecological laboratory work increases to 16.67% in the 8th grade, 25% in the 7th grade and 54.55% in the 9th grade; almost all laboratory works are closely related to the immediate environment of the learners, therefore, they arouse interest in the subject. The study puts emphasis on the effectiveness and relevance of the use of educational tasks of environmental content during the study of the subject of chemistry, which is part of environmental training and education of the learners. Thus, a close connection is created between the understanding of the environmental problems of the area in which learners live and the value attitude towards nature. The article provides examples of ecology-oriented tasks from basic school chemistry textbooks of the SR.