"É carnívoro, não é?": aprendendo paleontologia por meio de uma atividade investigativa no ensino fundamental II

Abstract

The present work addresses the teaching of science by investigation, more specifically on the investigative approach in the teaching of paleontology, as it presents itself as a resource that can contribute to the approximation between academic knowledge and what is taught in the school environment. It aimed to understand the potential of engaging students in an activity of assembling a hypothetical fossil, in which they were invited to participate in typical practices of scientific culture, including the way in which scientists construct and validate knowledge. The activities were developed with a group of 34 students from the 6th grade of elementary school in a state public school and had the Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards: A Guide for Teaching and Learning as a guideline for the elaboration of the didactic sequence, which indicates elements essential for investigative activities in the classroom. The result was the exposition of points of view, the raising of hypotheses and the proposition of evidence built collectively by the students, when they engaged in the investigation of different aspects of the biology of a hypothetical fossil. Therefore, it is evident that the teaching of Science by investigation provided several learning opportunities, ensuring the differentiated insertion of topics related to paleontology in this classroom, as well as enabling the development of scientific skills. It is also indicated that the activity carried out represents one of the possible ways to overcome the difficulties faced by professors when they approach paleontology in their classes, notably, the little diversity of didactic materials that arouses the interest of students and places them in a leading role in the process of teaching and learning.