Mariana Gomes

Co-author: Silvia Lorenz Martins, Aires da Conceição Silva.
It is known that Astronomy teaching uses visual perceptions and information in the majority, which generates a lack of appropriate materials to be used in the school classes, considering the specific needs of blind or visually impaired students (BVI). In the Brazilian curriculum of Basic education, it is expected that students can reflect on the position of the Earth, the Sun, our galaxies, and the human species in the Universe. Given this, Astronomy teaching assumes an essential function in the process of the student's recognition of its position and role in the Universe. To contribute towards filling this gap, the project Universo Acessivel (Accessible Universe), at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro - Valongo Observatory, aims to improve the teaching-learning process for this audience, developing low-cost stuff and audio resources. In this work, we aim to present the teaching resources produced by the project, intending to allow a multisensorial approach to the Moon to the BVI students. To set up this, three types of resources were considered: (1)tactile model; (2) braille booklet; (3) talking book, both addressing different topics about the Earth’s natural satellite, such as eclipses, craters, phases, and tides. Each kind of resource has its proper usability and specificity, which help to contextualize the content learned by students. We seek to discuss how exploring different resources in a ludic, active, and multisensorial way allows the engagement of more students in the journey of unveiling the Moon.