ANÁLISE DA TEMÁTICA PANTANAL NOS LIVROS DIDÁTICOS DE GEOGRAFIA NOS ANOS FINAIS DO ENSINO FUNDAMENTAL

Abstract

The analysis of the Pantanal theme in Geography textbooks used in the final years of elementary education examines how the concept of the Pantanal is presented in both scientific literature and these educational materials. The study is grounded in Physical Geography in order to understand this concept as an object of investigation, considering the landscape as a central element for interpreting what is visible — that which has been modified and transformed over thousands of years through interactions among natural components and socio-environmental dynamics.To achieve this, the research sought to identify how the Pantanal is described in scientific literature as well as in Geography textbooks approved by the Brazilian National Textbook Program (PNLD). Of the fifteen approved works available for consultation, eight were analyzed. The objective is to investigate how the Pantanal is addressed in the 7th-grade Geography textbooks selected for the 2024–2027 PNLD cycle, assessing whether these materials engage with scientific knowledge. The study also revisits the concept of the Pantanal within the academic literature and identifies which physical-natural and socio-environmental approaches are used to characterize this region. A qualitative bibliographic research methodology was adopted. As a result, it is suggested that seventh-grade Geography textbooks present a more detailed and didactic treatment of the Pantanal theme, especially regarding the understanding of its concept. It is recommended that the common uses of the term be compared with the scientific definitions found in specialized literature, in order to clarify its etymology and broadened meaning, thereby avoiding reductionism and oversimplification given the complexity involved in understanding the Pantanal theme both in academic contexts and in school settings.