Swedish Gymnasieskolan Curriculum - Science Studies (Naturkunskap)

This curriculum outlines the central content for the Science Studies (Naturkunskap) subject within the Swedish Gymnasieskolan. Naturkunskap is an interdisciplinary subject grounded in biology, physics, earth science, and chemistry. It addresses health, energy, and sustainable development, integrating natural and social sciences.

Aims

The subject aims to develop students' knowledge of natural sciences and their ability to critically evaluate and take a stance on issues with scientific content. It should lead students to understand how scientific knowledge applies to professional and everyday situations, enabling them to make informed personal choices.

The teaching should provide opportunities for students to apply scientific knowledge and methods, with and without digital tools, based on current issues and phenomena. While covering topics like environmental and climate issues, resource distribution, cycles, health, and genetic modification, it should also demonstrate how to approach these issues from a scientific perspective. By discussing and exploring socially relevant questions, students should consolidate, deepen, and develop their scientific knowledge to understand and influence their time. The teaching should also enable students to use digital technology, other tools, and simulations to seek and acquire scientific knowledge.

Courses

The Naturkunskap subject is divided into several courses:

• Naturkunskap 1a1 (50 points) builds upon compulsory school knowledge. A grade in this course cannot be included in a student's diploma alongside a grade in Naturkunskap 1b.
• Naturkunskap 1a2 (50 points) builds upon Naturkunskap 1a1. A grade in this course cannot be included in a student's diploma alongside a grade in Naturkunskap 1b.
• Naturkunskap 1b (100 points) builds upon compulsory school knowledge. A grade in this course cannot be included in a student's diploma alongside a grade in Naturkunskap 1a1 or 1a2.
• Naturkunskap 2 (100 points) builds upon Naturkunskap 1a2 or 1b.

Naturkunskap 2: Central Content

This course typically taken in Year 2 or 3, covers the following:

• The universe's development as an explanation for the origin of matter and Earth's composition.
• The structure of matter, properties of substances, interactions, cycles, and indestructibility. Relationships and differences between energy and matter.
• Mechanisms of evolution and the development of organisms. How life's conditions and ecology can be studied at different levels.
• The human body's organs and organ systems, their structure, function, evolutionary development, and interaction with the environment.
• Organic and inorganic substances in everyday life and society. Industrial processes, technological development, and environmental perspectives related to the production of modern materials, food, and other products.
• Scientific working methods, such as observations, classification, measurements, simulations, and experiments, as well as ethical considerations and aesthetic experiences linked to scientific exploration.
• Scientific approach: how to formulate testable scientific questions and how to test phenomena in the surrounding world.
• How science can be critically examined and how a scientific approach can be used to critically assess unscientifically based claims.
• The significance of science for humanity's culture and worldview.
• Discoveries and advances in areas such as medicine, energy, and materials development from historical, present, and future perspectives.