Sweden Grundskolan: Modern Languages Curriculum

Modern Languages, encompassing a wide range of languages, is introduced in Year 6 of the Swedish compulsory school system. Students typically make their language choice (Språkval) during Year 5. The curriculum emphasizes developing communicative skills, cultural understanding, and language awareness.

Year 5: Language Choice (Språkval)

In Year 5, students select the Modern Language they wish to study beginning in Year 6. This choice allows students to begin exploring different languages and cultures.

Year 6 and Beyond: Modern Languages Curriculum

The Modern Languages curriculum is structured around developing communicative competence in the chosen language. This includes:

• Reception: Understanding spoken and written language, including various media and forms of communication.
• Production and Interaction: Expressing oneself and interacting with others in speech and writing, adapting language to different situations and audiences.
• Correctness: Developing accuracy in language use, including pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary.
• Strategies: Utilizing strategies to support communication and problem-solving when language skills are limited.
• Cultural Knowledge: Gaining knowledge about living conditions, societal issues, and cultural phenomena in different contexts where the language is used.
• Language Awareness: Developing an understanding of how language is learned and how it functions.

The curriculum emphasizes using the target language as the primary medium of instruction and encourages interaction, text production, and the use of various resources. It also promotes the development of multilingualism, where skills in different languages interact and reinforce each other.