TEACHING WEATHER AND CLIMATE: A DIDACTIC PROPOSAL USING METEOROLOGICAL INSTRUMENTS

Abstract

This article presents an experience report on the teaching of weather and climate in Elementary Education, developed through the project “Weather Observers Club” at a municipal school in Brusque, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The proposal emerged from the observation that Climatology teaching, often limited to textbooks, tends to make concepts abstract and disconnected from students’ reality. The objective was to promote a practical understanding of the topic through the construction and use of didactic replicas of meteorological instruments, using the school’s automatic weather station as a reference. Twenty 7th- and 8th-grade students participated in activities conducted during after-school hours. The qualitative methodology was based on participant observation and analysis of students’ interactions, engagement, and productions. A rain gauge, hygrometer, windsock, and anemometer were built using simple materials, followed by testing and discussions. The results showed that integrating theory and practice fostered meaningful learning, making the topic more relevant and contextualized. In addition to cognitive gains, socio-emotional skills such as cooperation and protagonism were also developed. The study concludes that this practice constitutes a feasible, innovative, and replicable teaching strategy for Climatology in Basic Education.