Uma sequência didática voltada para o estudo de asteroides e crateras de impacto

Abstract

One of the main points of interest in astronomy is the understanding of Asteroids and Meteors, their formation, location and the dangers they can pose to our planet and our civilization. Throughout history we have seen evidence of impacts from large asteroids, as evidenced by the numerous craters present on the surface of the Earth and other planets. Such craters are often barely noticeable, as vegetation, erosion and other effects have altered their characteristics on our planet. In this context, a didactic sequence was developed for High School using several pedagogical resources in order to provide the student with a more pleasant and critical learning about the small bodies of our Solar System. The contents included in this sequence were carefully selected, covering fundamental astronomy topics for the understanding of the main theme. For that, some technological resources are needed, such as cell phone applications, software for locating and identifying impact craters on Earth, in addition to a datashow. In addition, the problematization raised in the present work was used as a guide for the elaboration of the didactic sequence, thus aiming at a greater involvement of students in the learning process from a critical perspective. Therefore, in addition to encouraging the engagement of high school students in astronomy, this sequence can be used by other teachers according to the need and reality of each educational institution, and can even be applied to elementary school classes. Finally, knowledge of the Solar System in which we live is an important step towards the scientific and critical training of students, who will be able to filter and interpret news broadcast in different media about near-Earth asteroids, space missions and impact craters in Brazil and in the world.