Article

Juliana dos Santos Braz Wihby Leite; Carolina Matteussi Lino

DOI: 10.22167/2675-6528-202602243

Article derived from a Final Course Work (TCC), with content based on the student’s original work and adapted to the editorial format of the Revista E&S with the support of the ResumeAI tool, an artificial intelligence solution developed by the Pecege Institute for textual synthesis and organization.

Abstract

The National Common Curricular Base (BNCC) established a milestone for the curricular organization of Basic Education, defining essential learnings to be progressively developed. In this context, the progression of learning and the cognitive development of students in reading skills have been the subject of analysis in the educational field. The study aimed to analyze the cognitive progression of reading skills proposed for the 6th and 7th grades of Elementary School, using the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy as a reference. A qualitative research was conducted, based on documentary analysis, focusing on the identification and classification of verbs that express the cognitive operations mobilized in the skills. The results indicated the recurrence of medium and high complexity skills throughout this cycle, without the explicit statement of a linear cognitive progression. The predominance of operations such as analysis, evaluation, and comparison was observed from the beginning of the analyzed period. These findings revealed challenges for curricular organization, especially regarding the need for teacher mediation to build the progression of learning, prevent cognitive overload, and promote pedagogical practices that favor the gradual development of reading autonomy.

Keywords: BNCC; Cognitive Complexity; Portuguese Language Teaching; Reading Skills; Bloom’s Taxonomy.

1. Introduction

The publication of the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC) in 2018 consolidated a milestone for the curricular organization of Basic Education, by proposing the definition of essential learnings that must be progressively developed. In the Portuguese Language component, the curriculum is structured based on social language practices, with the text as the central axis of teaching. This approach considers the conditions of production and circulation of texts, guiding the development of skills focused on the significant use of language in reading, listening, and textual production practices (Brazil, 2018).

The effective implementation of these learnings, however, depends on how the curriculum is materialized in the school context. The organization of pedagogical work must consider not only essential learnings but also the way the learning process develops. The construction of a didactic contract, based on dialogue among professor, students, and the object of knowledge, is fundamental for the realization of school learning (Jonnaert and Borght, 2002).

Linked to this process, motivation plays a crucial role in promoting meaningful and lasting learning. It is necessary for the school to foster a progression from extrinsic to intrinsic motivation, where the student engages in learning on their own initiative (Perassinoto et al., 2013).

From the perspective of neuroscience, the learning process involves structural and functional changes in the nervous system. The brain reorganizes its neural connections, creating, strengthening, or eliminating links based on experiences and interactions with the environment (Cosenza and Guerra, 2011). In adolescence, this reorganization is intense, with an accelerated reduction of synaptic connections, which enhances the capacity to mobilize, integrate, and deepen previously constructed knowledge (Cosenza and Guerra, 2011).

In this scenario of cognitive development, reading comprehension becomes essential. Solé (1988, 1998) defines reading as an interactive activity, in which the reader establishes a relationship with the text, mobilizing strategies to meet specific purposes. This perspective presupposes an active reader who analyzes and interprets the text, constructing meaning in the interaction between the text, the reader’s prior knowledge, and the purpose of reading.

In the educational context, in line with the BNCC guidelines, the understanding of reading as an active process of meaning construction implies adopting pedagogical practices that recognize the student as the central agent of their learning. It is therefore fundamental to foster the development of executive functions, which are cognitive capacities that allow for setting goals, planning actions, and monitoring performance (Cosenza and Guerra, 2011). Thus, reading instruction should consider how these skills are mobilized and progressively developed throughout schooling.

It is in this scenario that the present article proposes to analyze the progression of reading skills foreseen for the 6th and 7th grades of Elementary School, seeking to identify to what extent this progression evidences the increase in cognitive complexity in textual comprehension operations in parallel with the development and improvement of the executive functions of these students.

The relevance of this study is justified by the need to more deeply understand how the progression of learning is organized in the BNCC, especially regarding reading skills. Although the document proposes the progressive development of competencies, analyses that systematically investigate how this progression manifests in terms of cognitive complexity are still incipient. By examining the skills envisaged for the 6th and 7th years of Elementary School, this work contributes to explicating the levels of cognitive demand involved in the process of textual comprehension, offering subsidies for both the theoretical field and pedagogical practice.

Furthermore, the analysis can favor a more critical reading of the curriculum by teachers, assisting in the planning of teaching practices more aligned with the gradual development of students’ reading skills. From this perspective, the contributions of neuroscience become especially relevant, as they make it possible to understand how the learning process occurs in the brain, offering subsidies for the elaboration of pedagogical strategies that respect the different developmental rhythms of students and contribute more effectively to the consolidation of these skills throughout schooling. In view of this, the objective of this article is to analyze the progression of reading skills foreseen in the BNCC for the 6th and 7th years of Elementary School, focusing on the identification of the levels of cognitive complexity involved in these skills, using Bloom’s Taxonomy as a reference, as well as the assumptions from the perspective of neurosciences.

2. Material and Methods

This study was characterized as a qualitative research, with a descriptive approach and documentary analysis procedure. The research corpus consisted of the reading skills foreseen in the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC) for the 6th and 7th years of Elementary School, in the Portuguese Language curricular component.

The choice of documentary analysis was based on the possibility of examining official curricular guidelines, allowing for an understanding of the organization of skills and their progression throughout schooling. The delimitation of the study to the 6th and 7th grades of Elementary School is justified by being the stages that inaugurate the final years cycle, configuring an important transition moment in the students’ formative journey, in which cognitive demands related to reading practices are expanded. Furthermore, in the BNCC, skills are largely organized in a biennial cycle, with articulated and continuous proposals, which makes the recorte relevant for investigating the progression of cognitive complexity and the distribution of cognitive operations in this formative interval.

As an analysis procedure, a survey of reading skills for the selected years was carried out, followed by the identification of verbs that express the cognitive operations involved. In the next step, these verbs were classified based on levels of cognitive complexity, using the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy as a reference. This model structures mental processes in a progression from the most elementary to the most elaborate levels, articulating them with different levels of intellectual demand and previously established educational objectives (Ferraz and Belhot, 2010).

From this categorization, a comparison was made between the 6th and 7th grades, with the objective of identifying possible indications of progression in the cognitive demands required by reading skills. The data were analyzed interpretively, seeking to understand to what extent the organization proposed by the document evidences a gradual increase in cognitive complexity in the process of textual comprehension.

3. Results and Discussion

Characterization of Reading Skills in Portuguese Language in the BNCC for the 6th and 7th grades

In the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC), Portuguese Language skills are organized by an alphanumeric code, such as EF06LP01, which indicates the stage, year/cycle, curricular component, and skill position. However, this position does not define a mandatory sequential order in the curriculum (Brazil, 2018), and the number of skills is extensive, which may make their complete approach unfeasible (Rossi, 2021).

The skills are progressively distributed, with some defined for specific years, others for two-year cycles (such as 6th and 7th grades, and 8th and 9th grades), and some extend over broader cycles, requiring more time for consolidation. This organization aims for a continuous progression of language practices, which are revisited and deepened throughout Elementary School.

In the final years of Elementary School, the focus deepens on genres from the public sphere, especially from the journalistic-media field. Skills emphasize argumentation and persuasion strategies, digital practices (commenting, sharing, curating content), and critical analysis of information, including source reliability and data manipulation. Hate speech and the need for ethical participation in debates are also addressed, promoting critical thinking in the face of phenomena such as post-truth and information bubbles, with the aim of strengthening awareness of rights and ethical posture (Brazil, 2018).

The analysis of the twenty reading skills for the 6th and 7th grades revealed that two are specific to the 6th grade, two to the 7th grade, and sixteen for the biennial cycle. Of these, twelve are centered on the journalistic-media field, six on the public life field, and only two on the artistic-literary field, maintaining studies from the Initial Years. Table 1 summarizes the classification of these skills according to the cognitive levels of the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Table 1. Classification of BNCC reading skills (6th and 7th grades) according to cognitive levels of the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy

Field of activity	Skill	Main classification according to the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy
Journalistic/media field	(EF06LP01) Understand that absolute neutrality in the presentation of facts is not achieved and recognize that different levels of partiality arise from the author’s selections and choices, developing a critical stance towards journalistic texts and awareness of textual production practices.	Analysis
Journalistic/media field	(EF06LP02) Relate the different genres of the journalistic field, recognizing the central role of the news in this set.	Understanding
Journalistic/media field	(EF07LP01) Differentiate diverse editorial proposals (such as sensationalism or investigative journalism), identifying strategies used to provoke impact on the reader and that may interfere with the critical reading of the reported facts.	Analysis
Journalistic/media field	(EF07LP02) Confront news and reports about the same event broadcast in different media, examining the characteristics of the media, textual reformulation processes, and the integration of languages in multisemiotic productions.	Analysis
Journalistic/media field	(EF67LP01) Examine the organization and functioning of hyperlinks in digital journalistic texts, understanding possibilities of hypertextual construction.	Analysis
Journalistic/media field	(EF67LP02) Investigate the spaces intended for reader participation in different media (print and digital), recognizing genres and themes in circulation and positioning oneself ethically, in addition to producing texts for these contexts.	Knowledge
Journalistic/media field	(EF67LP03) Confront information about the same fact in different media and outlets, critically analyzing it and judging its reliability.	Evaluation
Journalistic/media field	(EF67LP04) Differentiate, in text excerpts, factual information from opinions associated with these facts.	Analysis
Journalistic/media field	(EF67LP05) Recognize and examine positions, theses, and arguments present in argumentative texts, expressing reasoned agreement or disagreement.	Understanding
Journalistic/media field	(EF67LP06) Analyze the effects of meaning produced by linguistic choices, such as vocabulary selection, information organization, and the use of enunciative resources.	Analysis
Journalistic/media field	(EF67LP07) Identify persuasive strategies in argumentative texts, such as lexical choices, title construction, and use or omission of sources, understanding their meaning effects.	Analysis
Journalistic/media field	(EF67LP08) Interpret effects of meaning arising from the use of visual elements (images, colors, framing, sequences, etc.) and their relationship with verbal text in different media genres.	Analysis
Field of activity in public life	(EF67LP15) Recognize rights assured and prohibitions established in normative texts, as well as the conditions under which they apply, in documents such as statutes, codes, and regulations.	Understanding
Field of activity in public life	(EF67LP16) Investigate institutional spaces intended for the expression of demands and claims, as well as the textual genres that circulate in these contexts, aiming to expand the capacity for social action through language.	Analysis
Field of activity in public life	(EF67LP17) Examine the compositional organization and linguistic resources of letters of request and complaint, considering their production context, with a view to developing texts based on these genres.	Analysis
Field of activity in public life	(EF67LP18) Identify the focus of requests or complaints, as well as their supporting arguments, evaluating the relevance of the justifications presented.	Evaluation
Field of activity in public life	(EF67LP20) Develop research based on previously defined themes and questions, using varied and reliable sources.	Application
Field of activity in public life	(EF67LP27) Analyze intertextual relationships between literary works and between these and other artistic languages, considering themes, characters, and expressive resources.	Analysis
Artistic-literary field	(EF67LP28) Read autonomously different literary genres, mobilizing adequate comprehension and interpretation strategies, as well as evaluating texts and expressing reading preferences.	Evaluation
Artistic-literary field	(EF67LP29) Recognize constituent elements of the dramatic text, such as characters, scenic structure, and plot organization, including conflicts, central ideas, and points of view.	Knowledge

Source: Original research results.

Analysis of cognitive processes in light of Bloom’s revised Taxonomy

Of the twenty reading skills analyzed, two are at the knowledge level, three at comprehension, one at application, eleven at analysis, and three at evaluation. It is observed that the central focus of reading skills for the 6th and 7th grades is in the field of analysis. This configuration requires a more in-depth analysis of the organization of skills throughout the cycles, especially regarding the progression of learning and the continuities and ruptures between school years. Furthermore, the findings allow for a discussion of how these data align with neuroscience knowledge on cognitive development in adolescence and its pedagogical implications.

The progression of learning in the biannual cycle: continuities and ruptures

In this cycle, skills that mobilize cognitive operations of different levels of complexity predominate, with an emphasis on analysis and evaluation processes. Verbs such as identify, distinguish, analyze, recognize, and explore indicate cognitive actions that converge towards the development of critical reading practices, especially in the journalistic and media field. This configuration suggests a curricular organization based on a logic of non-linear cognitive complexity, where diverse processing levels coexist, rather than being distributed hierarchically and progressively. The BNCC seeks to place the student in reading contexts that require critical positioning in the face of the circulation of divergent information and perspectives.

This guidance favors the formation of a critical and socially situated reader, capable of transferring skills to other language practices. The BNCC favors a progression based on the complexification of language practices, rather than an explicit hierarchy of cognitive levels.

However, despite the skills being proposed for a biennial cycle, the BNCC does not explicitly state a linear cognitive progression between the 6th and 7th grades. This approach, which prioritizes meaningful social practices, may hinder the organization of teaching and the gradual systematization of skills. The coexistence of different cognitive levels within the same skill and the early presence of complex operations, such as analysis and evaluation, as early as the 6th grade were identified. Thus, the skills are configured as complementary and interdependent, demanding active pedagogical mediation for effective learning progression. This configuration reinforces that the progression of learning is not dictated exclusively by the BNCC, but depends on how the school organizes teaching practices, selects strategies, and sequences activities.

Interfaces between curriculum and cognition: contributions of neuroscience to the interpretation of results

The recurrence of medium and high complexity operations since the 6th year in the BNCC indicates the expectation that students, upon entering the Final Years, will have already developed knowledge from previous levels of the taxonomy and will be able to mobilize it in more demanding reading practices. This curricular organization can be understood in light of neurobiological development. During adolescence, a process of brain reorganization occurs, known as synaptic pruning, which refines neural networks, making brain function more efficient and specialized (Cosenza and Guerra, 2011). The consolidation of learning depends on the recurrent reactivation of these circuits, which allows the BNCC to be interpreted as congruent with these assumptions by proposing the resumption of cognitive operations in different practices, favoring the strengthening of neural connections and the stabilization of learning.

In this context, although the assimilation of new information may be slower, there is an advancement in the ability to mobilize, integrate, and deepen prior knowledge, related to neural plasticity and the progressive reorganization of networks at increasing levels of cognitive integration.

Despite this apparent convergence, the analyzed data highlight limitations in the articulation between curriculum and neurobiological functioning. The recurrence of high-complexity skills without explicit progression can generate cognitive challenges. Although the adolescent brain has plasticity and potential for sophisticated cognitive operations, learning depends on gradual consolidation processes. Continuous exposure to complex demands, without progressive sequencing, can result in cognitive overload, especially in tasks that require simultaneous mobilization of multiple processes such as analysis, evaluation, and inference. Thus, the results suggest only a partial articulation between the curricular organization and the principles of brain functioning, indicating the need for greater explicitation of cognitive progression in the proposed skills for a more consistent articulation.

Pedagogical implications of the organization of skills for teaching Portuguese Language

The results indicate that the recurrence of highly complex skills, without an explicitly hierarchical cognitive progression, has relevant implications for pedagogical practice. The absence of a gradual chaining of cognitive operations demands a more active role from the school and teachers in organizing the learning path. The responsibility for constructing cognitive progression shifts to the teacher’s action, who must structure intentional didactic sequences, considering the gradual complexification of cognitive operations to favor the consolidation of learning. Without this care, complex skills such as analysis and evaluation can be worked on superficially, without the support of more basic processes.

The predominance of complex cognitive demands can generate cognitive overload in students, especially without adequate mediation. Tasks of analysis, inference, and evaluation require the simultaneous mobilization of different cognitive processes, making it fundamental that teaching promotes the activation of prior knowledge, the explicitation of reading strategies, and continuous monitoring of student development. Pedagogical mediation assumes a central role in the articulation between curriculum and learning, implying the need to organize teaching in a progressive perspective, even if not explicitly stated in the curricular document. Teaching reading strategies is fundamental for the student to understand how to approach the text, mobilize prior knowledge, and monitor their comprehension. According to Solé (1998), learning to read is not spontaneous; it requires the intentional action of the teacher, who guides, models, and gradually transfers control over comprehension processes to the student.

The formation of autonomous readers implies preparing them to deal with diverse and complex texts. For this, the reader needs to develop the ability to monitor comprehension, relate what is read to prior knowledge, revise ideas, and produce new generalizations. The construction of these competencies depends on planned didactic situations that promote the progressive development of these strategies, with the teacher gradually transferring the responsibility for the reading process to the student (Solé, 1998). Pedagogical planning must consider not only the final objectives but also the intermediate cognitive processes, breaking down complex skills into smaller steps and anticipating moments for review and consolidation. Assessment should encompass both the product and the learning processes, valuing the student’s journey.

The analyses indicate that, although the BNCC proposes the development of cognitively complex skills from the beginning of the cycle, its effective implementation depends on pedagogical intentionality and the teacher’s ability to organize teaching progressively. The articulation between curriculum and cognition is not automatic, but requires qualified mediation that aligns curricular demands with the ways students learn.

Limitations of the analysis and perspectives for future investigations

The present study has limitations, such as the restricted scope to the reading skills of 6th and 7th graders of Elementary School, which prevents the generalization of findings to other grades or language practices. The analysis was based on the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy, whose application involves a certain degree of interpretation and may introduce subjectivity in the categorization of cognitive levels. Furthermore, the complexity of learning processes is not exhausted by this classification. The work focused on the prescribed curriculum, without investigating the mobilization of skills in pedagogical practice, teacher mediations, or student appropriation.

For future investigations, it is suggested that empirical studies be conducted on the implementation of these skills in the classroom, considering teacher performance and student learning processes. Research that expands the scope to other years of Elementary School or that articulates different Portuguese Language practices can offer a more comprehensive understanding of cognitive progression in the BNCC. Investigations that integrate approaches from cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and reading didactics can deepen the analysis of the relationships between curriculum, cognition, and teaching.

In summary, this study analyzed the cognitive progression of BNCC reading skills for the 6th and 7th grades of Elementary School, based on the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy. The results indicated that the skills are not organized in an explicit linear progression, with a recurrence of medium and high complexity cognitive operations throughout the analyzed cycle and an early presence of more elaborate cognitive demands. These findings suggest that the cognitive development proposed in the curriculum is not structured in a gradual and staggered manner, which can generate challenges for learning and teaching organization. The absence of an explicit progression shifts the responsibility of structuring the learning complexification path to the teacher, requiring greater pedagogical intentionality and qualified mediation to align curricular demands with the ways students learn, contributing to the progressive development of reading autonomy.

4. Conclusion

The present study aimed to analyze the cognitive progression of reading skills proposed for the 6th and 7th grades of Elementary School, using the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy and neuroscience assumptions. It was found that reading skills are not organized in a linear progression explicitly stated in the National Common Curricular Base, but rather by the recurrence of medium and high complexity cognitive operations throughout the analyzed cycle. The predominance of processes such as analysis, evaluation, and comparison was observed since students entered the 6th grade, indicating an expectation of mobilization of more elaborate prior knowledge. This curricular configuration, although aligned with the cerebral reorganization in adolescence, which favors knowledge integration, revealed only a partial articulation with the principles of neurobiological functioning, potentially generating cognitive overload without due mediation. The main contribution of this work lies in explicating the levels of cognitive demand involved in textual comprehension, offering subsidies for a more critical reading of the curriculum and for the planning of pedagogical practices that consider the gradual development of students’ reading abilities.

However, the study has limitations, such as the restricted scope to the reading skills of 6th and 7th grades, which prevents the generalization of findings to other grades or language practices. The application of the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy, although a consolidated framework, involved interpretation, and the complexity of learning is not exhausted by this classification. Furthermore, the analysis focused on the prescribed curriculum, without investigating classroom implementation. For future research, it is suggested to conduct empirical studies on teacher performance and student learning processes, as well as to expand the scope to other grades of Elementary School and integrate approaches from cognitive psychology and reading didactics. In summary, the absence of explicit cognitive progression in the BNCC shifts the responsibility of structuring the path of learning complexification to the teacher, requiring pedagogical intentionality and qualified mediation to align curricular demands with how students learn, promoting the progressive development of reading autonomy.

Bibliographic References

Brasil. 2018. Base Nacional Comum Curricular. Ministério da Educação, Brasília, DF, Brasil. Disponível em: . Acesso em: 09 fev. 2026.

Cosenza, R.M.; Guerra, L. B. 2011. Neurociência e Educação – Como o cérebro aprende. Artmed, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil.

Ferraz e Belhot, 2010 [Referência completa não encontrada no documento original]

Jonnaert, P.; Borght, C.V. 2002. Criar condições para aprender – o socioconstrutivismo na formação do professor. Artmed, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil.

Perassinoto, M.G.M.; Boruchovitch, E.; Bzuneck, J.A. 2013. Estratégias de aprendizagem e motivação para aprender de alunos do Ensino Fundamental. Avaliação Psicológica 12(3): 351-359.

Rossi, MA G L. 2021. Práticas de leitura em Língua Portuguesa a partir da BNCC: em que se fundamentam e como realizá-las em sala de aula?. Linha D’Água 34: 5-26.

Solé, I. 1998. Estratégias de Leitura. 6ed. Artmed, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil.

Article originating from a Final Course Work on Neuroscience and Learning in Education

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