Análise do livro literário infantil "Um dia, um rio" e uma proposta didática voltada à educação ambiental crítica

Abstract

The overall objective of this research is to demonstrate how a children’s literary work can contribute to Critical Environmental Education in the school context, considering its literary, social, and historical aspects. The theoretical assumptions used were those of Carvalho (2004), Layrargues and Lima (2014), and Krenak (2019, 2022), who present ideas that Environmental Education in a critical approach promotes reflection in citizens regarding their attitude towards the environment; with regard to children’s literature, the considerations of Zilberman (2014) and Cosson (2006, 2014) were mainly used. With regard to methodological procedures, the book analyzed was “Um dia, um rio” (One day, a river) (Cunha; Neves, 2016), which addresses the environmental crime that occurred in Mariana, Minas Gerais, Brazil, in November 2015. The research uses a qualitative approach and, with an interpretive reading of the literary text and images. The analysis was based on the following categories: nature, environmental impacts, voices and silences, emotions, feelings and values, and critical awareness. The results show that the analysis made it possible to observe the problems caused to the environment through images laden with meaning. In addition, it was possible to observe elements of the literary narrative, such as characters, plot, and outcome, and to examine how the literary narrative portrays the crime in Mariana and its socio-environmental consequences. It was evident that the plot leads the reader to reflect on the effects of human action driven by greed and the excessive exploitation of natural resources, revealing the severe social and environmental consequences of this model of relationship between nature, which seeks only a real interest in profit. As this research is linked to a professional graduate program, based on the analyses carried out, an educational product was also developed. Therefore, this research can contribute to reflections on Critical EA for teachers and researchers, and the educational product produced can be applied in the school context of elementary school children for reflections on socio-environmental issues.