Lenguaje, memoria y territorio: leo tras las huellas de mis ancestros

Abstract

This study addresses the problem of underdeveloped competencies in reading comprehension, creative writing, and expressive oral communication among third-grade students, as well as the limited recognition and appropriation of cultural and natural heritage in diverse school settings. The study also sought to identify elements of the cultural and natural heritage of each territory that could be incorporated as meaningful pedagogical resources in third-grade classrooms at the following educational institutions: Rafael Uribe Uribe (Pore, Casanare), Antonio Roldán Betancur – Eduardo Correa Campus (Tarazá, Antioquia), and Etnoeducativa Rural Anoui – Jotomana Campus (Manaure, La Guajira). The research was conducted using a qualitative interpretive approach, organized into four phases: needs identification, information gathering, results and impact analysis, and dissemination. Techniques such as non-participant observation and semi-structured interviews with students were employed, making it possible to characterize both communicative competencies and students' level of cultural appropriation. The findings reveal significant difficulties in reading comprehension, with high percentages of students unable to interpret texts or understand questions. Similarly, low motivation toward writing was identified in some groups, though marked interests in horror narratives, fantasy, and everyday experiences persist. Regarding oral expression, limited participation and difficulties in argumentation were found. In the cultural component, a fragmented knowledge of local heritage was evident, with a predominance of external references and weak intergenerational transmission — particularly in the Wayúu indigenous context, where risks of cultural memory loss were also identified.