Nowadays, there is a trend in focusing science teaching on the understanding of the nature and processes through which scientific knowledge develops. In this context, students' involvement in modelling- based teaching activities emerges as an essential part of a more interactive and dialogical approach to teaching. Thus, a modelling-based strategy for the teaching of the topic energy associated with chemicals changes was elaborated. This strategy was applied to a group of high school sophomore students of a public school in Belo Horizonte. This paper presents some impor tant aspects that served as a base for this teaching strategy, as well as some of the results of an investigation into students learning, especially those related to language.
modelling-based teaching; language; chemical changes