O ensino de ciências com base em plantas medicinais para estudantes do ensino fundamental

Abstract

The current research is about the assumption that some aspects of the culture has been lost among many indigenous students, as for example, the knowledge that is passed through generations. In relation to this traditional knowledge and the importance of being brought to the classroom, the research problem that aims to respond to the following question emerges: In which way is it possible to value in the science curriculum knowledge about medicinal plants, so it becomes school knowledge and contributes to a more contextualized teaching? This research has as main goal to approach medicinal plants in Elementary School, evaluating its relevance about the esteem of traditional knowledge among students of an indigenous community. The current study is associated to the Educational Practice in Science and Math teaching and develops an educational product with the intention of contributing for a more contextualize Science teaching. For that, a booklet was elaborated to serve as a pedagogical tool to assist teachers in the development of classes about medicinal plants that approach concepts of Science and also related to the environment, medicines, indigenous knowledge and homemade remedy. The didactic material was developed for Elementary students but can also be used to other levels of education. This booklet follows the present dissertation and is entitled as “Medicinal Plants: linking knowledge in Science teaching”. The medicinal plants presented in the booklet are: banana tree, orange tree, Paraná pine, camomile, marigold and citronella. The choice of these six plants occurred through a qualitative research held with students of the final years of Elementary School of a state school in the countryside of Rio Grande do Sul. The data collection was in 2019 through the application of a semi-structured questionnaire that was answered by 49 students during Science classes. Due to the development of the booklet being during the context of Covid-19 pandemic, a suggesting of application of the educational product in the form of an extension course for indigenous students of the ninth year of Elementary School was presented. The proposal of the course consists in developing activities related to the contents of Science based on three medicinal plants in the booklet: camomile, marigold and citronella. Hopefully this educational intervention can contribute for the acquisition of this knowledge, once it approaches contents articulated to a theme of the students’ reality. To conclude, it must be highlighted that this dissertation is followed by an educational product that is available for free in http://educapes.capes.gov.br/handle/capes/597455.