Production of a didactic game to discuss the seven types of recyclable plastics

Abstract

Plastic materials are present in the daily lives of all of society in various sectors and their unbridled consumption has led them to become the cause of some of today's most serious environmental problems. Their relevance to the process of appropriating knowledge is due to the fact that they permeate students' prior knowledge and thus serve as a basis for teaching chemistry. In this sense, the aim of this paper is to discuss the didactic game "Que plástico eu sou?" (What kind of plastic am I?), which was developed during the first academic semester 2023/1 of the Postgraduate Program in Teaching in Basic Education (PPGEEB), with the aim of informing potential players about the existence of different types of recyclable plastics and associating them with their chemical composition. The research methodology was to validate the didactic material with a group of 8 primary school teachers, who were instructed to follow the rules described in the game and test its playability by carrying out all the procedures suggested by the game. These teachers then answered a questionnaire containing five questions, four of which were objective and one discursive, referring to its physical and pedagogical aspects. The results obtained after validation showed that the game is simple, has clear information, easy-to-understand rules and makes it possible to learn about the characteristics of the seven types of recyclable plastics in a playful way. It also stimulates environmental awareness by demonstrating the impacts that inappropriate disposal of these materials can have on the environment.