Letramento literário nos anos finais do ensino fundamental: a importância da leitura para o desenvolvimento do pensamento crítico

Abstract

Literary literacy has gained prominence as an essential practice in the final years of Elementary Education, especially considering contemporary demands that require readers capable of understanding, interpreting, and critically positioning themselves in relation to diverse social and cultural manifestations. Within this context, it is observed that many students demonstrate lack of motivation and difficulty in attributing meaning to reading, revealing a distance between schoolbased literature and their life experiences. Based on this situation, the presente study analyzed how literary literacy can contribute to the development of critical thinking among students at this stage of schooling. The research, qualitative in nature and bibliographic in character, was grounded in authors such as Soares (2005), Kleiman (2005), Street (2014), Cosson (2006), Freire (1989), and Zilberman (1988), articulating theoretical perspectives with pedagogical practice. For analytical exemplification, the work A Terra dos Meninos Pelados, by Graciliano Ramos, was used as a possibility for promoting critical reading in the classroom. The results indicated that literary literacy, when understood as a social practice and intentionally mediated, enables the development of Reading autonomy, broadens interpretative abilities, and encourages students’ critical positioning. The study also highlighted challenges such as the use of literature solely for evaluative purposes and the absence of dialogic spaces, as well as possibilities for overcoming these issues through meaningful pedagogical practices and teacher mediation. It is concluded that literary literacy constitutes a relevant path for strengthening students’ critical formation and promoting Reading experiences that dialogue with their lived realities, contributing to integral and participatory development within the school context.