Language/Reading Curriculum in the Fourth Grade

A new national curriculum for compulsory school was implemented in 2011. It contains general goals, guidelines, syllabi, and knowledge requirements.⁵ One central difference from the previous curriculum is a concretization of the syllabi and specification of the core content of the school subjects. Knowledge requirements and national tests also were introduced in Grades 3 and 6.⁶ In 2016, knowledge requirements were introduced for Grade 1 in reading and mathematics.^a Students in PIRLS 2016 were taught according to the curriculum from 2011.

Reading is included as part of the language curriculum, which is divided into three parts. It begins with a description of the importance and aim of the subject, followed by the core content and the knowledge requirements.

Aim of the Subject

The Swedish curriculum states that language is the primary tool for thinking, communicating, and learning. Through language people develop their identity, express their feel¬ings and thoughts, and understand how others feel and think. Rich and varied language is important in being able to understand and function in a society where different cultures, outlooks on life, generations, and languages all interact. Description of the aims that specifically address reading follow.

Teaching should stimulate students’ interest in reading and writing. Through teaching, students should be given 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 enable students to develop skills for creating and working on texts individually and with others. Students should be encouraged to express themselves through different forms of aesthetic expression, and to develop their knowledge of how to search for and critically evaluate information from various sources.

In teaching, students should encounter and acquire knowledge about literature from different periods and parts of the world. Teaching also should help to ensure that students develop their knowledge of various forms of nonfiction. When encountering different types of texts, performing arts, and other aesthetic narratives, students should be given the preconditions to develop their language, their own identity, and their understanding of the surrounding world. Specifically, Swedish instruction should allow students 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
Search for information from different sources, and evaluate these

Core Content

The part of the syllabus that describes the overall goals is the same for Grades 1 to 9. The next part of the syllabus, a description of core content, is divided into three tiers: Grades 1 to 3, Grades 4 to 6, and Grades 7 to 9.

The syllabus presents content in five categories that are the same for all three tiers: Reading and Writing; Speaking, Listening, and Talking; Narrative Texts and Nonfiction Texts; Use of Language; and Searching for Information and Critical Evaluation of Sources.

The specific core content for Grades 1 to 3 is presented below:

Reading and Writing

Reading strategies for understanding and interpreting texts and for adapting reading to the form and content of texts
Strategies for writing different types of texts adapted to their typical structures and language features; creating texts where words and pictures interact
Simple forms of processing texts, such as subsequently going through their own texts and making clarifications
Handwriting and using computers for writing
Structure of language with large and small letters, full stops, question marks, exclamation marks, and spelling rules for frequently occurring words in texts closely related to students’ daily lives
The alphabet and alphabetical ordering
The relationship between sounds and letters
Speaking, listening, and talking
Listening and recounting in different conversation situations
Oral presentations and relating everyday topics to different recipients; pictures and other aids that can support presentations
Narration in different cultures, at different times, and for different purposes

Narrative Texts and Nonfiction Texts

Narrative texts and poetic texts for children from different times and different parts of the world; texts in the form of rhymes, jingles, songs, picture books, chapter books, lyrics, drama, sagas, and myths; narrative and poetic texts that provide an insight into people’s experiences
The message, structure, and content of narrative texts: how a narrative text can be organized with an introduction, sequence of events, and an ending, as well as descriptions of literary figures
Some authors and illustrators of fiction for children
Descriptive and explanatory texts, such as factual texts for children, and how their contents can be organized
Instructional texts, such as game instructions and task descriptions, and how these can be organized in a logical order and by grouping of points
Texts that combine words and pictures, such as films, interactive games, and Web texts

Use of Language

Language strategies for remembering and learning, such as making notes of what has been talked about
Words and terms used to express feelings, knowledge, and opinions
How words and opinions are interpreted depending on tone of voice and a word’s shades of meaning
Differences between spoken and written language, such as where speech can be reinforced through tone of voice and body language
Searching for information and critical evaluation of sources
Searching for information in books, magazines, and websites for children
Criticism of sources and how the sender of a text influences content

The specific core content for Grades 4 to 6 is presented below:

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
Different ways of working on the content and form of their own texts; how to give and receive responses on texts
Handwriting and writing, organizing, and editing text by hand and with computers
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 other aids 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 everyday life and school; keywords, pictures, and digital media as aids in planning and giving an oral presentation; how gestures and body language can influence a presentation

Narrative Texts and Nonfiction Texts

Narrative texts and poetic texts for children and youth from different epochs and from Sweden, the Nordic area, and other parts of the world; texts in the form of fiction, lyrics, drama, sagas, 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, and 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 sounds, such as Web content, interactive games, and television programs; textual contents, structure, and typical language features

Use of Language

Language strategies for remembering and learning, such as using mind maps and key words
Words and terms used to express feelings, knowledge, and opinions; words and terms, their shades of meaning, and value connotations
Differences in language use depending on audience and purpose, such as the difference between writing a personal SMS message and a factual text
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 different media and sources, such as reference books, interviews, and Internet search engines
How to compare sources and examine their reliability from a critical standpoint

Knowledge Requirements

The final part of the Swedish curriculum contains assessment criteria that are based on the list of competencies presented above, but not correlated to separate competencies. As of 2016, knowledge requirements state what is considered “acceptable knowledge” of reading in Grade 1. Since there are no grades until Grade 6, the knowledge requirements for Grades 1 and 3 refer to “acceptable knowledge” that all students should gain. For Grade 6, criteria are formulated for three of the five levels in the grading system (passing grades A through E, and F for failing). These are the criteria that Grade 4 students are striving toward. Examples are given of knowledge requirements for Grades 1, 3, and 6 below:

Knowledge requirements for acceptable knowledge at the end of Grade 1

The student can read sentences in basic, familiar texts, and through simple comments and retelling parts of the content that are important to the student, the student can show initial reading comprehension. With the support of images or questions the student can note when problems with the decoding of words or understanding of the context occurs and then try to correct themselves. In conversations about texts the student can argue in a basic way about apparent content and compare this with his/her own experience(s).

Knowledge requirements for acceptable knowledge at the end of Grade 3

Students can read texts on familiar topics with ease by using reading strategies in a basically functional way. By commenting and giving an account of some of the content they find important, students can in a simple way show basic read¬ing comprehension. Students additionally can apply simple reasoning to clearly prominent messages in the texts and relate this to their own experiences.
Students can write simple texts in legible handwriting and on computers. In the texts students can use capital letters, full stops, and question marks and spell words they often use and that are commonly found in texts related to their interests. The narrative texts students write have a clear introduction, action, and ending. Students can search for information from a given source and give an ac¬count of the essential parts of the information in simple forms through factual texts. The texts contain basic topic specific words and concepts used to make the content clear. By combining their texts with pictures, students can clarify and emphasize their message. Students also can respond to questions with simple assessments of their own and others’ texts and clarify their texts on the basis of responses from others in a simple way.
Students can discuss questions and subjects closely related to them by asking questions, giving comments, and expressing their opinions. Students also can clearly relate and describe daily events and give and receive simple oral instructions.

Knowledge requirements for grades at the end of Grade 6

For grade E—“Pupils can read fiction and nonfiction texts for children and youth with ease by using reading strategies in a basically functional way. By making simple, chronological summaries of the contents of different texts and commenting on the main points with some connection to the context, pupils show basic reading comprehension. In addition, based on their own experience, pupils can interpret and apply simple and to some extent informed reasoning to clear messages in different works and in a simple way describe their reading experiences.”
For grade C—“Pupils can read fiction and nonfiction texts for children and youth with good ease by using reading strategies in an appropriate way. By making developed summaries of the contents of different texts and commenting on the main parts with relatively good connection to the context, pupils show good reading comprehension. In addition, pupils from their own experiences interpret and apply developed and relatively well informed reasoning to clearly prominent messages from different works and in a developed way describe their reading experience.”
For grade A—“Pupils can read fiction and nonfiction texts for children and youth with very good ease by using reading strategies in an appropriate and effective way. By making well developed summaries of the contents of various texts and commenting on the main parts with good connection to the context, pupils show very good reading comprehension. In addition, pupils from their own experiences interpret and apply well developed and well informed reasoning to clearly prominent messages in different works, and in a well developed way describe their reading experience.”

a Knowledge requirements and national tests also have been implemented for Grade 9.

Sweden