Inovações e experimentos no ensino de Ciências da Natureza para estudantes do 5º ano do ensino fundamental: a aprendizagem significativa em questão que proporciona a alfabetização científica

Abstract

This work deals with the themes of Meaningful Learning and Scientific Literacy and has as its primary objective the inclusion of practical classes, utilizing low cost material, on science courses of three classes of the 5th grade of a public elementary school located in a very poor region of the city of Niterói, at the state of Rio de Janeiro. The proposal here developed consists in evaluating in what extent the inclusion of practical and innovative classes contributes to a truly meaningful learning process, intended for scientific literacy of the students. The research methodology adopted is the Action Research, a methodology that has an essentially participatory nature and tends to contribute to social change. The research developed here predominantly uses a didactic tool known as Conceptual Map and the Content Analysis as well as the Indicators of Scientific Literacy are used in order to analyze the collected data. Among the issues covered with practical activities, there are, for instance, animal and plant cells, the respiratory system, the circulatory system, the reproductive system and the digestive system. For each of these themes the students first do conceptual maps with their preconceptions, and then, afterwards, receive classroom instruction, sculpt these systems with modeling clay and perform final conceptual maps, both individually and collaboratively. The themes of Photosynthesis, Light, Compass and Magnetism Notions are also treated, all of them with experimental activities and the realization of conceptual maps. The researcher, in addition to working with the Sciences themes, explores spelling notions, fine motor skills, the ability to work in groups, and also seeks to emphasize the steps of the Scientific Method, trying to promote students curiosity and thought organization. Questionnaires are applied to the classes regent teachers and to the students participating on the research, so as to evaluate the work as a whole. We can observe that the practical activities greatly contribute to meaningful learning. The resulting products of this work are a manual with the scripts of the activities, all the assembled creations involving living beings in biscuit and other experiments in various materials intended for the School s science laboratory.