Ciências da natureza nos anos finais do ensino fundamental: habilidades da BNCC e letramento científico

Abstract

The BNCC (“Base”), a normative document, is supposed to guide Basic Education, in order to ensure the learning rights of young people and overcome the inequalities of Brazilian Education. In regard to Natural Sciences teaching, BNCC’s main objective is to develop scientific literacy. This work aims to verify whether Base’s Natural Sciences contents effectively contribute to scientific literacy at the end of Elementary School (“Final Years” – 6th to 9th grades). A documental, qualitative analysis of materials referring to the approved version of the BNCC was carried out. The State of Goiás’ Curriculum Document was also included, due to its purpose of adapting the Base to the local reality. The skills (“abilities”) described in the three thematic units of Natural Sciences were examined. It was found that there is no adequate integration and continuity, foreseen in the Base, between the thematic units throughout the Final Years of Elementary School. In different objects of knowledge (contents), skills end up reflecting banking education. Contemporary themes relevant to liberating, citizen education are superficially proposed or even suppressed from the skills described. The emphasis given by the BNCC to skills does not present clear perspectives for emancipatory education. In addition, it compromises teaching autonomy, as the governmental, official nature of the document raises the idea not of a curricular framework, but of curricular imposition, with a high content-focused bias so that students can carry out large-scale evaluations. The proposed content organization does not value prior knowledge, nor does it take into account the multiplicity of realities in our country, despite predicting a diversified part to complement the Base. The analysis conducted shows that the contents related to Natural Sciences remain fragmented and do not contribute satisfactorily to scientific literacy and citizen education. The adversities related to the infrastructure and the conditions of teaching activity, which exist long before the approval of the BNCC, do not receive attention from the Base.