Geosciences teaching for elementary school students in the Brazilian Amazon

The teaching of geosciences, particularly at the elementary level, is crucial for understanding the dynamics and phenomena of nature. However, the fragmentation of curricular content and the lack of contextualized and interactive teaching approaches hinder students' learning. In response to this scenario, the educational outreach project “Giro Mineral” was developed by the Pará State School of Technological Education (EETEPA – Paragominas), with the goal of popularizing geoscientific knowledge among final-year elementary students in the public school system of Paragominas (PA). The methodology included the assembly of an educational geoscience collection; the training of student monitors enrolled in the Technical Mining Program; the execution of traveling exhibitions in both urban and rural schools; and the administration of evaluation questionnaires. Over two years of implementation, the project involved 1624 participants and achieved average learning gains of up to 73 %. The use of real geological materials and an interactive approach proved to be effective in enhancing student learning and engagement. Furthermore, the strong alignment of the project with the competencies and skills defined by the Brazilian National Common Curricular Base (BNCC) contributed to strengthening geoscience education within the framework of basic education in schools the Brazilian Amazon.