THE LITERACY MISMATCH: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF LEARNING EXPECTATIONS IN THE FIRST YEAR OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Abstract

This article critically analyzes the conception and operationalization of learning expectations for reading and writing in the first year of Elementary School in Brazilian public municipal networks. Starting from the assumption that literacy is a fundamental right and a complex socio-cognitive process, inseparable from literacy socialization, the study investigates how such expectations are conceived and materialized in official pedagogical artifacts. Through bibliographical and documentary research of a qualitative nature, a theoretical framework is articulated, encompassing the historical evolution of literacy methods, the psychogenesis of written language, the integral development of the child, and the role of the teacher. The critical analysis focuses on the translation of national guidelines (BNCC) into the local curriculum and, especially, into official didactic materials. The results point to a field of tensions, where a significant gap persists between theoretical advances, which advocate for meaningful and child-centered literacy, and a practice often induced by mechanistic materials and a product-centered assessment culture. It is concluded that the effective realization of the right to full literacy depends on the construction of a coherent pedagogical ecosystem that aligns theory, curricular policies, teacher training, and working conditions, placing the integral development of the child at the heart of the process.