Sweden Grundskola Handicrafts Curriculum

Handicrafts

Aim: Handicrafts education aims to develop students' knowledge of various crafts and their ability to work with diverse materials and forms of expression. Students develop skills through a process combining thinking, sensory experiences, and practical action. The curriculum encourages curiosity, exploration, and creative problem-solving with different materials.

Core Content (Years 7-9):

• Materials, Tools, and Techniques: Students work with metals, textiles, and wood, exploring their properties, uses, and how they can be combined with each other and other materials (including recycled and new materials). They also learn how materials can be integrated with digital technology. Students learn the names and safe, appropriate use of hand tools, instruments, and machines. Advanced handicraft techniques like molding, weaving, metal cutting and turning are introduced, along with relevant terminology. The curriculum also covers two- and three-dimensional sketching, model making, pattern creation, and interpreting task descriptions (with and without digital tools), linking these to mathematical calculations. Working environment and ergonomics (sound levels, work positions) are also addressed.
• Working Processes: Students learn the different stages of a craft project: idea development, consideration of important factors, communication, and assessment. They learn how different parts of the process are interconnected and influence the final outcome. Students explore the possibilities of various materials and handicraft techniques in relation to form, function, and design. Documenting the work process and results (using words, pictures, and digital tools) is also emphasized.
• Aesthetic and Cultural Expressions: Architecture, art, and design serve as inspiration for students' own ideas. Students create their own designs using various materials, colors, and forms. The curriculum explores fashion and trends, their significance, and their influence on individuals. Crafts and handicrafts in Sweden and other countries are examined as expressions of ethnic and cultural identity.
• Crafts in Society: Students learn about design, art handicrafts, domestic crafts, and other craft forms in the public sphere. The production of different materials is considered from a sustainability perspective.

Knowledge Requirements (Year 9):

• Grade E: Students can create craft artifacts from different materials following instructions, using tools, instruments, and machines safely and functionally. They can choose approaches based on task objectives and some quality and environmental aspects, providing simple justifications for their choices. Students can contribute to idea development using inspirational material and test material and technique combinations for form and function. They can make simple assessments of the work process, showing basic understanding of the relationship between form, function, and quality. Students can interpret the expression of craft artifacts and apply simple reasoning about symbols, color, form, and material based on their experiences, trends, and traditions in different cultures.
• Grade D: Meets the requirements of Grade E and most of Grade C.
• Grade C: Students can create craft artifacts from different materials, following instructions and partly their own initiatives. They can use tools, instruments, and machines safely and appropriately. They choose approaches based on task objectives and quality/environmental aspects, providing developed reasoning for their choices. Students develop ideas using inspirational material and test how materials and techniques can be combined for form and function. They can make developed assessments of the work process using craft-specific terms, showing understanding of the relationship between form, function, and quality. Students interpret craft artifact expressions and apply developed reasoning about symbols, color, form, and material based on their experiences, trends, and traditions in different cultures.
• Grade B: Meets the requirements of Grade C and most of Grade A.
• Grade A: Students can create craft artifacts from different materials based on instructions and their own initiatives, using tools, instruments, and equipment safely, appropriately, and precisely. They choose approaches based on task objectives and quality/environmental aspects, providing well-developed reasoning. Students develop ideas using provided and self-sourced inspirational material. They systematically test how materials and techniques can be combined for form and function. Students can make well-developed judgments about the work process using craft-specific terms, showing understanding of the relationship between form, function, and quality. They interpret craft artifact expressions and apply well-developed reasoning about symbols, color, form, and material based on their experiences, trends, and traditions in different cultures.