Escalas termométricas: uma proposta de sequência de conteúdos para o ensino no Instituto Federal de Minas Gerais - Campus Bambuí

This study focuses on the topic "Temperature Scales" and aims to develop a didactic sequence for teaching at the Federal Institute of Minas Gerais - Bambuí Campus. To achieve this, we conducted a thorough review of high school and undergraduate textbooks, as well as indexed journal articles. We sought common content across these resources and identified engaging topics that could enhance the teaching of this subject at the high school level. Additionally, we reviewed articles that discuss how the history of science can help students gain greater clarity and learn content more effectively. After completing all the readings, we identified topics commonly covered in high school textbooks, which we retained in our proposed teaching material. Subsequently, we found some topics that are rarely included or only appear in undergraduate-level textbooks. These were added to our proposal because they provide a better understanding of temperature scales. Finally, we discovered historical accounts that clarify the complexity behind thermometers and their scales, which are absent from the textbooks we analyzed. By integrating all the previously mentioned content, we compiled an ordered list of topics that we believe will facilitate students' understanding of temperature scales. At the end of our analysis, we noticed some interesting patterns across different levels of education. High school textbooks offer more detailed information about the history of temperature scales. Undergraduate textbooks, on the other hand, focus on the technical aspects of standardizing thermometers and temperature scales, including the creation of the Kelvin scale. As expected, journal articles excel at recounting the history of temperature scales, presenting information that goes beyond the common content found in textbooks. An important observation is that adding historical context to the content makes it easier to understand, although it extends the material, requiring more classroom hours to teach it. Lastly, we encountered some challenges during this project, such as finding references that address the historical aspects, as this topic is often presented in a summarized manner with limited depth.