Mergulhando fundo: uma sequência didática na promoção da alfabetização científica e da cultura oceânica nos anos finais do Ensino fundamental

Abstract

Scientific literacy is an essential process for shaping individuals capable of rational and critical thinking, playing a fundamental role in building participatory awareness about the world. To achieve this goal, a didactic sequence is a valuable tool, as it organizes learning in a structured and meaningful way. The choice of a relevant theme is crucial in this context, and Ocean Literacy emerges as a highly significant movement. This movement seeks to educate citizens who are aware and sensitive to ocean conservation, promoting reflection and informed decision-making. By integrating this content into the curriculum, schools can contribute through practical, dynamic, and transdisciplinary activities, enhancing learning and connecting students to the environmental and social issues surrounding the ocean. Thus, the present work combines scientific literacy and Ocean Literacy with the development of socio-environmental skills, essential for shaping committed, critical, and participatory citizens. To this end, a Didactic Sequence was implemented to identify Indicators of Scientific Literacy, using the Principles of Ocean Literacy as the theme. The study was conducted at Padre Cabral State School in the city of Maceió, Alagoas, in the Fernão Velho neighborhood, targeting 7th-grade students in the final years of elementary school. Data were collected from recorded student dialogues in the classroom, as well as from activities produced throughout the didactic sequence, such as cartoons and drawings with questions. The predominant indicator identified from the students' responses was the organization of information. However, other indicators were also evident, including logical and proportional reasoning, seriation and classification of information, hypothesis generation, justification, prediction, and xplanation. The Ocean Literacy principles and concepts understood were principles 5 and 6, as expected, though principles 3, 4, and 7 were also identified during the application of the Didactic Sequence. This study demonstrates that the application of a Didactic Sequence can be an important tool for fostering the process of scientific literacy. Additionally, it proved effective in raising students' awareness through the promotion of Ocean Literacy, empowering them to understand, value, and care for the ocean, motivating them to protect, restore, and ensure a healthy relationship with it.