A temática ambiental no ensino de Geografia: estudo dos currículos e livros didáticos do ensino fundamental

Abstract

This research analyzed the approach to environmental issues in curricular documents and Geography teaching materials used in Elementary Education, seeking to understand how socio-environmental issues are incorporated into the teaching and learning process. The study was based on the understanding that school Geography plays a fundamental role in the education of critical individuals, capable of interpreting the relationships established between society and nature and of acting consciously in response to contemporary environmental challenges. The general objective of the research was to analyze how environmental issues are presented in the curricula and Geography textbooks adopted by the state school in Capinópolis whose materials were analyzed. Methodologically, this is a qualitative, bibliographic, and documentary study conducted through the analysis of the Brazilian National Common Curricular Base (BNCC), the Minas Gerais Reference Curriculum, Geography Course Plans, quarterly lesson plans, and textbooks from the Geography collection approved by the National Textbook and Teaching Material Program (PNLD 2024), used in the final years of Elementary Education. Data analysis was conducted based on the principles of content analysis. The results showed that environmental issues are significantly present in the curricular documents and teaching materials analyzed, demonstrating strong alignment with the guidelines of the BNCC and the principles of critical Environmental Education. It was found that the contents address topics related to sustainability, natural resources, landscape transformations, environmental impacts, and the relationships between society and nature, contributing to the development of students' geographical thinking and socio-environmental awareness. It was also found that the textbooks predominantly adopt a critical approach to environmental issues, encouraging investigation, reflection, and student participation. However, the contextualization of the contents in relation to the local reality remains a challenge, since the analyzed materials contain few specific references to the socio-environmental characteristics of the municipality and the region where the research was conducted. It is concluded that the curricula and teaching materials investigated make a significant contribution to students' environmental education, although the effective articulation between school content and local reality depends on the pedagogical mediation carried out by teachers. Keywords: Geography Teaching. Environmental Education. Curriculum. Textbook. BNCC. Sustainability. Citizenship Education. Society and Nature. Elementary Education. School Geography.