Do uso popular à concepção científica: plantas medicinais como tema contextualizador no ensino de química orgânica

Abstract

This work aimed to identify and recognize some of the main medicinal plants used in the fight against various diseases, extraction forms, risks and benefits, chemical structure, functional groups and properties of its active principles, showing the importance of chemistry as a science in an interdisciplinary way and contextualized. This, in turn, was carried out with students of the 3rd year of the Secondary School of E.E.E.F.M. Pedro Lins Vieira de Melo located in João Pessoa-PB. The teaching methodology developed was based on three pedagogical moments: initial problematization, organization and application of knowledge. At the first moment, the initial questionnaire was applied to identify the students' previous knowledge about the theme "Medicinal Plants" and some questions about Organic Chemistry, followed by a research on the subject. Next, a lecture was given on Medicinal Plants, which dealt with the historical importance of medicinal plants, essential oils and other active principles extracted from plants, their importance, uses, forms of extraction, risks and toxicity. Later, we organized the knowledge through two classes of review of Organic Chemistry, addressing the typical properties of carbon, molecular formula, structural formula, classification of carbons, classification of carbon chains, organic functions, and exercises. At the stage of application of knowledge, the "Medicinal Plants Kit" was applied, whose objective was to identify which structure corresponds to the active principle of a given plant, based on the information contained in each letter. Finally, a second questionnaire was applied to investigate the improvement in relation to the understanding of the subject and the subjects addressed. The results showed an increase of (64.81%) in the answers to the question of molecular formula and classification of carbons, and an increase of (50.46%) in the correctness of the question of organic functions in comparison to the initial questionnaire. It was noticed that "The game of medicinal plants" can contribute in a satisfactory way in the learning of the contents covered, besides making the classes more dynamic, interactive and motivating for the students.