Swedish Curriculum - Mellanstadiet (Years 4-6)

Subject: Swedish

Aim:

Teaching in Swedish should aim to help pupils develop knowledge in and about the Swedish language. Through teaching, pupils should gain the preconditions to develop their spoken and written language so that they feel confident in their language skills and can express themselves in different contexts and for different purposes. This means that pupils, through teaching, should have the opportunity to develop their language for thinking, communicating, and learning. Teaching should stimulate pupils' interest in reading and writing. Through teaching, pupils should have the opportunity to develop their knowledge of how they can express their own views and thinking in different types of texts and through various media. Teaching should also aim to enable pupils to develop skills for creating and working on texts, individually and together with others. Pupils should be given opportunities to communicate in digital environments with interactive and changing texts. Pupils should also be encouraged to express themselves through different forms of aesthetic expression. Teaching should also help pupils develop their knowledge of how to search for and critically evaluate information from various sources. In teaching, pupils should encounter and acquire knowledge about literature from different periods and different parts of the world. Teaching should also help ensure that pupils develop their knowledge of various forms of non-fiction. When encountering different types of texts, performing arts, and other aesthetic narratives, pupils should gain the preconditions to develop their language, their own identity, and their understanding of the surrounding world. Through teaching, pupils should have the opportunity to develop their knowledge of the Swedish language, its norms, structure, history, and development, as well as how language use is related to social contexts and media. In this way, teaching should help strengthen pupils' awareness of and belief in their own language and communicative ability. Teaching should also help ensure that pupils understand that the way in which we communicate can have consequences for the individual and for other people. As a result, pupils should be given opportunities to take responsibility for their own use of language in different contexts and media. The teaching should also help pupils encounter and become familiar with both other Nordic languages and the national minority languages. Teaching in Swedish should essentially give pupils the opportunities to develop their ability to: express themselves and communicate in speech and writing; read and analyze literature and other texts for different purposes; adapt language to different purposes, recipients, and contexts; identify language structures and follow language norms; and search for information from different sources and evaluate these.

Core Content:

• Reading and writing: Reading strategies to understand and interpret texts from various media, and to distinguish between explicit and implicit messages in texts. Strategies for writing different types of texts adapted to their typical structures and language features. Creating texts where words, pictures, and sound interact, both with and without digital tools. Different ways of processing their own and collaborative texts to create content and form. How to give and receive responses on texts. Handwriting and writing, organizing and editing texts by hand and using digital tools. Structure of language and construction of sentences, main clauses, subordinate clauses, spelling rules, punctuation, word inflection, and parts of speech. Structuring text by using linking words. How to use dictionaries and digital tools for spelling and understanding words.
• Speaking, listening, and talking: Using arguments in different discussion situations and decision processes. Oral presentations and storytelling for different audiences, on topics drawn from daily life and school. Key words, images, digital media and tools, as well as other aids for planning and performing an oral presentation. How gestures and body language can influence a presentation.
• Narrative texts and non-fiction texts: Narrative and poetic texts for children and youth from different epochs, from Sweden, the Nordic area, and other parts of the world. Texts in the form of fiction, lyrics, drama, tales, and myths that illustrate the human condition and questions of identity and life. Narrative text messages, language characteristics, and typical structures involving parallel action and flashbacks, descriptions of settings and persons, as well as dialogues. Some important literary authors for children and young people and their works. Descriptive, explanatory, instructional, and argumentative texts, including factual texts, task descriptions, advertisements, and letters to the press. Textual contents, structure, and typical language features. Texts that combine words, pictures, and sound, such as web texts, games, and TV programmes. Textual contents, structure, and typical language features. Texts in digital environments, such as texts with links and other interactive functions.
• Use of language: Language strategies for remembering and learning, such as using mind maps and key words. Words, symbols, and terms used to express emotions, knowledge, and opinions. Words and terms, their shades of meaning, and value connotations. Differences in language use, depending on to whom you are writing and for what purpose, such as the difference between writing a personal text message, posting on social media, and writing a factual text. Responsible behavior when communicating in digital and other media, and in different contexts. Use of language in Sweden and the Nordic area. Some variants of regional differences in spoken Swedish. Some typical words and terms in Nordic languages, as well as differences and similarities between them. The national minority languages.
• Searching for information and critical evaluation of sources: Information in some different media and sources, such as reference books, from interviews, and via internet search engines. How to compare sources and examine their reliability from a critical standpoint.

Knowledge Requirements: (See the scraped PDF for detailed grade level requirements for E, D, C, B, and A at the end of year 6.