Seeking to evaluate the importance and utility of models in the teaching of
geosciences it was made an exhibition dealing with the themes volcanism and
seismology, for the discipline “Earth and Life Sciences” o f the 10th grade. The
exhibition was constituted by eight interactive activities. The last activity deal with
the Earth internal structure. Close to each model it was possible to find brief
theoretical information, and also the instructions for their use in each activity. After
the exploration of each model the students were asked to answer a few questions
of an activity book that they carried with them during the visit. A CD-ROM with
additional information on the themes and with the description of the procedures
and materials necessary to prepare the practical activities was also prepared, and
made available to the students. Between the visitors of the exhibition two classes
of the 10th grade, of the group “Científico-Natural” were choose to answer a test
on the themes of the exhibition. The questions were selected from previous tests
presented to those students, allowing the comparison between the learning, previously
and after the visit to the exhibition. The results proved the utility of this way of
learning, being the best results obtained in the tasks more close to the reality.
