Sweden Grade 8 Curriculum - English

The English curriculum for Grade 8 in Sweden focuses on developing students' comprehensive communication skills, encompassing listening, reading, speaking, and writing. It emphasizes using English in various contexts and for diverse purposes, building confidence and fluency. The curriculum also aims to foster cultural understanding and appreciation of different perspectives.

Curriculum Aims

• Communication: Develop all-around communicative skills, including understanding spoken and written English, expressing thoughts and interacting effectively, and adapting language use to different situations and audiences. This also involves building confidence and employing strategies to overcome communication barriers.
• Cultural Understanding: Develop knowledge and understanding of diverse living conditions, social issues, and cultural aspects in English-speaking contexts worldwide.
• Language Awareness: Foster curiosity about language and culture, encouraging plurilingualism and understanding how language is learned both inside and outside the classroom.
• Digital Literacy: Utilize the surrounding world and various media as resources for learning, developing skills in searching, evaluating, and processing information from multiple sources.

Core Content

• Content of Communication: Explore concrete and abstract topics related to education, social and working life, current events, thoughts, opinions, feelings, and ethical issues. Examine themes, ideas, form, and content in film and literature, including authors and literary periods. Learn about living conditions, attitudes, values, traditions, and social, cultural, historical, and political conditions in different English-speaking contexts.
• Reception (Listening and Reading): Engage with spoken language, including variations in social and dialect features, and texts ranging from simple to complex and formal, encompassing various genres and media. Experience contemporary and older literature, poetry, drama, and songs. Develop strategies for source-critical listening and reading, searching for relevant information, and understanding perspectives and implied meanings. Analyze how structure, context, attitudes, perspectives, and style are expressed in different genres and media, including how language, images, and sound are used for influence.
• Production and Interaction (Speaking and Writing): Practice oral and written production and interaction in diverse situations and for various purposes, including argumentation, reporting, reasoning, summarizing, commenting, assessing, and justifying views. Develop strategies for active participation in argumentation, debates, and discussions related to social and working life. Learn different methods for commenting and note-taking. Refine language and structure in own and others' communications, adapting to genre, situation, and purpose.

Grade Requirements (End of Grade 6, as Grade 8 specific requirements are not available)

• Grade E: Can understand the main content and basic details of spoken English at varying speeds and in clearly written English across genres. Can use basic strategies to understand and evaluate content. Can choose and use simple media for production and interaction. Can express themselves simply and understandably, with some fluency and adaptation to purpose, recipient, and situation. Can discuss basic features of English-speaking contexts and make simple comparisons.
• Grade D: Meets requirements of Grade E and most of Grade C.
• Grade C: Can understand the main content and essential details of spoken and written English across genres. Can choose and use strategies for comprehension and evaluation. Can choose and use media effectively for production and interaction. Can express themselves clearly, coherently, and fluently, with adaptation to purpose, recipient, and situation. Can discuss features of English-speaking contexts in detail and make comparisons.
• Grade B: Meets requirements of Grade C and most of Grade A.
• Grade A: Can understand the whole and details of spoken and written English across genres. Can confidently use strategies for comprehension and evaluation. Can choose and use media critically and effectively for production and interaction. Can express themselves in varied, clear, coherent, and structured ways, with fluency and adaptation. Can discuss features of English-speaking contexts in detail and make balanced comparisons.