Raciocínio geográfico no ensino de geografia nos anos iniciais do ensino fundamental: sequências didáticas interdisciplinares na Escola Municipal de Ensino Fundamental Integral Maria Antonieta Ferreira Payar

Abstract

This article analyzes how Geography teaching contributes to the development of critical thinking in 5th grade Elementary School students. The research was conducted with a class of 35 students from the morning shift at Escola Municipal de Ensino Fundamental Integral Maria Antonieta Ferreira Payar, located in the Pinheirinho dos Palmares neighborhood, in São José dos Campos — SP, authorized through a Consent Form signed by the school administration. Based on a mixed-methods approach, combining bibliographic review and case study, the research investigates how intentional pedagogical practices in Geography can stimulate skills of analysis, argumentation, and critical positioning. Three didactic sequences were developed: "My neighborhood, my place", "Water is life: water resources in Brazil", and "From cocoa to chocolate: a journey through space and flavor", each articulating Geography with the other subjects taught by the polyvalent teacher: Portuguese Language, Mathematics, Science, and History. The theoretical framework draws on Paulo Freire, Milton Santos, Lana Cavalcanti, Ivani Fazenda, and the Brazilian National Common Core Curriculum (BNCC), critically examined in light of its limits and possibilities. Results indicate that contextualized didactic sequences foster the progressive and transversal development of critical thinking, with observable effects across other curricular areas, reaffirming the role of the polyvalent teacher as an agent of interdisciplinary integration and holistic student education. In a scenario marked by the advance of Artificial Intelligence and the accelerated circulation of information, forming critical and autonomous subjects proves to be not only a pedagogical goal, but a civilizational necessity.