Uepa Project Uses Escape Room in Chemistry Teaching Connected to the Amazon
Combining active methodology with the regional context in the learning of this Science in public schools is one of the objectives of the institution's initiative
Divided into groups, in a room surrounded by clues and puzzles, participants have a mission based on a fictional situation: to solve challenges and find formulas for compounds to produce a medication and save the residents of a village afflicted by an unknown disease that spreads rapidly. But, contrary to what it seems, this experience is not an entertainment game, but an academic activity that integrates Organic Chemistry content with the Amazonian context in a playful and collaborative proposal.
This is how the Pedagogical Escape Room “Between Leaves and Formulas: the Forest Challenge” is structured, in which students participate in challenges involving carbon classifications and the molecular structure of carbon chains, promoting logical reasoning, teamwork, and appreciation of local knowledge. The Pedagogical Escape Room (ERP) is an active teaching methodology that has been gaining ground in the educational context by transforming curricular content into engaging challenges that stimulate student protagonism and promote a new way of learning in practice.
Scholarship Holders - The Project “Between Leaves and Formulas: the Forest Challenge” was developed under the Institutional Program of Teaching Initiation Scholarship (Pibid) and produced by students from the Chemistry Teaching course at the University of the State of Pará (Uepa), Juliana Pereira, Débora Marinho, and Israel Nóbrega, under the coordination of professors Ronilson Souza and Lucicléia Silva, linked to the Center for Social Sciences and Education (CCSE) and permanent professors of the Graduate Program in Education and Teaching of Sciences in the Amazon (PPGEECA).
According to Professor Ronilson Souza, the idea of developing the project arose from the desire to make Chemistry teaching more interesting and connected to the students' daily lives. “We realize that topics such as carbon classification, types of bonds, and the structure of organic chains end up being very abstract. So, we thought of creating an interactive activity in the format of an Escape Room that would unite these contents with challenges based on the Amazon rainforest,” informs Ronilson Souza.
Combining active methodology with the Amazonian context for teaching Chemistry in public schools is one of the Project's objectives. “We proposed actions aimed at articulating the use of active methodologies and environmental issues, focusing on sustainability, exploring the Amazonian context to address a contextualized Chemistry teaching in public schools linked to Pibid. Among the active methodologies, we selected the Pedagogical Escape Room,” emphasizes Lucicléia Silva.
The professor explains that Escape Room games were created for recreation and entertainment purposes, “simulating, based on a narrative, real or fictional situations, with the aim of engaging players in a simulated space where they need to find clues, solve puzzles, and perform tasks to escape from a closed environment within a certain period.”
According to the teacher, among the different adaptations, there is a portable analog version, called Pedagogical Escape Room. “Characteristics of the original format are explored, with clearly defined learning objectives, which can be applied in any learning environment, whether formal or non-formal, with or without the use of digital technologies,” details Lucicléia Silva.
Results - In April of this year, the Escape Room “Between Leaves and Formulas: the Forest Challenge” was applied at the Izabel dos Santos Dias State School, in the Icoaraci district (part of Belém). 22 students from the 3rd year of High School participated in the activity, supervised by teacher Adriana Queiroz, who works at the school.
“I was surprised by the students' engagement in using the Escape Room for teaching Organic Chemistry. By transforming this content into challenges and puzzles to be solved in teams, the students were very motivated and actively participated in the activity. In a collaborative effort, they applied the chemical concepts in problem situations. In our observations, we noticed that the students reacted enthusiastically and curiously, demonstrating initiative and involvement with the content addressed,” emphasizes Adriana Queiroz.
The Project was also one of the initiatives included in the programming of the “Chemist's Day 2025: Education, Science, and Innovation,” which took place in June at the Center for Sciences and Planetarium of Pará (CCPPA). The dynamics attracted the audience and was praised by the participants. Chemistry Teaching student Vitor Brito, one of the participants, says that, “through the knowledge of Chemistry - such as sigma and pi bonds, which we uncovered - it was possible to have effective teaching, combining playful activity with theory, which is often seen in a traditional classroom. It was a very interesting activity for us, and we will also be able to take it to our students in the future.”
Uepa student Juliana Alves is part of the team that developed the Escape Room “Between Leaves and Formulas: the Forest Challenge.” She emphasizes the importance of the activity linking Chemistry knowledge to the reality of the Amazon. “We developed a project where students have the opportunity to review content, such as sigma and pi bonds, saturated and unsaturated chains, and reinforce the importance of contextualizing the subject with the Amazonian region. We thought of the entire project focused on our Amazon context, such as indigenous history and our strong relationship with the use of medicines and medicinal plants,” adds Juliana.
Reality - Professor Ronilson Souza also highlights that the approach of traditional knowledge of the Amazon also brings students closer to scientific content. “We use examples of plants like andiroba, copaíba, and jucá, which students know from their daily lives, to create the puzzles. This helps to give meaning to the content because they can relate what they learn in the classroom to what is around them. The goal is for students to learn by solving problems, in a collaborative and fun way, but with a focus on the Organic Chemistry content of High School,” he emphasizes.
The Uepa students who are part of the Project “Between Leaves and Formulas: the Forest Challenge” presented the results of the initiative during the I Show of Didactic Experiences and Educational Products in Sciences, which took place in July. The event was promoted by the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) to value and publicize initiatives aimed at teacher training and the teaching of Natural Sciences.
