The aim of this article is to analyse the experience of an extension action, developed by the Federal University of Alagoas, in a school located in the Alagoan seran. The aim is to reflect on trajectories and concepts relating to the field of Brazilian cultural heritage and the importance of participatory methodologies in the production of knowledge in schools. To achieve the proposed objective, the methodology of the National Inventory of Cultural References, a participatory qualitative and ethnographic methodology provided by the Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artiística Nacional (IPHAN), was used. The final considerations point to two paths. First, the importance of university extension in encouraging scientific research in basic education. Second, the potential of the National Inventory of Cultural References to foster critical and citizen training in schools.