Uso de plantas medicinais no ensino de botânica para os anos finais do Ensino Fundamental

The teaching of botany is treated as something tiring, difficult and, at times, guided by an approach that promotes memorization. To overcome such barriers, enabling learning, it is necessary to contextualize teaching in order to foster a rapprochement between scientific knowledge and the student's daily life. With this in perspective, this study aimed to carry out a literature review with the identification of pedagogical practices that make use of medicinal plants as a strategy to provide a contextualization of the teaching of botany for the final years of Elementary School. To this end, we analyzed research published from 1989 to 2019. After applying the exclusion, 7 publications were selected, all of which were original articles. In a detailed study, we identified common characteristics in the methodological approaches used, prompting the creation of 5 categories, namely: practical classes, educational games, visual and audiovisual resources, texts, guided visitation and presentation. The analysis of the selected works showed that there are several possibilities to approach the teaching of botany through the theme of medicinal plants, bringing about a better contextualization of teaching. Thus, we conclude that the use of medicinal plants is an effective tool for promoting contextualization in the teaching of botany. Above all, we highlight the need to develop works that use this theme, promoting, in addition to a differentiated approach, a redefinition of learning, expanding the dialogue between school, student and community, contributing to the student to act as the protagonist of their own teaching process and learning.