Classes
Mom and Dad Group
The “Mom and Dad” group is for the youngest children (ages 0–3) and their parents. We meet on Saturday mornings from 9:30–10:30.
The first ten minutes are spent playing and talking. Then we gather in a large circle on the floor. We sing our welcome song and other songs that the children and parents come up with. Then one of the parents reads two to three books that she or he has brought. After that, there are some simpler crafts and small talk. Then we dance a little and finish with the rocket before we all go to coffee at 10:30.
Playgroup
The playgroup is for children who are not yet old enough to join the preschool group, meaning children under the age of 4 and their parents. The group meets every Saturday from 11:00–12:00, where we read Swedish books, sing Swedish songs, play Swedish games, and do crafts.
The art and crafts are usually age-appropriate and often involve cutting and pasting or drawing and coloring. After the playgroup session, we join the other children at the Swedish School for fika (a highlight of the day for many of the kids!).
Every other week, the school’s library is open, which is a wonderful resource if you are looking for Swedish children’s books and DVDs.
The playgroup is part of the Swedish School for Children, but it operates more as a parent cooperative and does not employ a teacher.
The Pre-K Group
In the Pre-K group we do not use letters or numbers or anything theoretical that symbolizes these. Instead, we emphasize oral presentation through songs and games.
In the boys' group we do not use letters or numbers or anything theoretical that symbolizes these. Instead, we emphasize oral presentation through songs and games.
Group 1
The foundation of the group lies in listening to sounds, being able to imitate them, and developing perseverance. The sounds are then linked with picture and letter symbols, especially with nouns.
During the year, the sounds, pictures and letters are gradually rubbed in so that by the end of the year the students can pronounce the letters with Swedish sounding and that they can write and illustrate them with simple pictures with help: S = Swan; T = Bull, etc. The teacher trains the students with games and songs, with crafts and clapping exercises so that the different elements are captivating and immersive. The length of the work sessions should be adjusted to the ability and endurance of the age group. Simple homework, such as writing letters and drawing, should be given at regular intervals and parents should be encouraged to help their children regularly with their homework. Teaching is in Swedish and with the help of the teacher's assistant we hope that very little English needs to be used in the teaching.
Group II
In group II we begin the study of words and start with small short words where the vowels are stressed. The students write simple short sentences, where they for example describe things.
(“My dog is brown”). Through this, we also address the first word class: nouns. We will also introduce singular and plural in this context. Each day should have a clear theme which, in some cases, can be extended over several weeks. It is important that all students write, speak, listen and read a little each week and that they get into a routine so that they know what is expected of them each Saturday. During the speaking exercises (conversation or questions and answers) it is important that everyone listens; that they have the opportunity to repeat and learn the correct pronunciation. The vowel sounds are emphasized, and if time permits, also the consonants. Teachers have previously successfully used reading aloud from fairy tales to capture the students’ interest. The homework consists of being able to spell simple words correctly and being able to pronounce well-chosen words correctly. The letters å, ä and ö are worked on in particular with examples from simple words and names. A certain amount of English may be necessary to use in teaching to give individual students instructions for language exercises.
Grupp III
In this group we begin to write coherent short stories or descriptions for the first time. This also introduces us to the control of adjectives and pronouns over nouns.
We continue to work with nouns and in particular emphasize the singular and plural forms. A study of verbs can, for example, begin by writing simple stories in a tense form. The reading aloud is devoted to longer stories, but with relatively simple word choice and the students' pronunciation is corrected where appropriate. It is important that such corrections are made in an appropriate way so that the students perceive the nuance of the pronunciation and change their pronunciation. This begins, in this way, a habit of being instructed in pronunciation and the ability to hear small differences of, for example, short or long vowels and subsequent spelling differences. Exercises with different spellings of the j sound begin the study of the different ways Swedish spells specific Swedish sounds. The stories also give the students the foundation for vocabulary exercises and homework on vocabulary. More everyday stories than fairy tales can be used and the students' own experiences can be the starting point for much of the writing work. But it is now also appropriate to use their Swedish background as themes for nature descriptions and culture-oriented experiences. The homework consists of learning vocabulary from text material and using them in sentences; being able to translate them and being able to make simple conjugations of nouns. Other homework can be reading short passages or writing short passages at home with the help of parents. Teaching is mainly in Swedish, while individual help is given from time to time to students who lack basic knowledge. The goal is that the students learn to follow all instructions in Swedish and that the teachers adapt their speaking speed and word choice so that a minimum of English is necessary.
Group IV
In this group, the exercises in word classes are expanded and we begin a more formal study of nouns, adjectives and pronouns. We also begin the study of regular and irregular verb tenses.
Comparative studies of the use of the present tense and infinitive in English and Swedish are done to help students distinguish between different verb forms. Specific exercises to recognize the tense forms of the verb; to practice the plural forms of the noun, the definite form and the genitive forms should be used to increase students' skills. Among other things, exercises to change one tense form to another can be used, or to use several different forms of nouns together with the correct pronoun forms. In addition, the study of prepositions and adverbs should be initiated. Skills in vocabulary and sentence construction are practiced through discussions, essay writing and through well-chosen reading material. We use selected texts from sources other than teaching materials to expand vocabulary and use glossaries as homework material. In the exercises regarding spelling, we now continue with the different uses of å, ä and ö. In addition, we repeat the rules of double consonants. Reading aloud and other oral presentations are used to practice pronunciation. At this age, it becomes increasingly important that the subject content and the tone of the conversation match the students, so that we can maintain their interest in their studies. Homework consists of longer passages to read and understand (with the help of a dictionary and parents), grammar exercises and writing exercises. Crossword puzzles and similar forms of exercise are used to make the teaching fun and challenging. Teaching is mainly in Swedish and exceptions are made in cases where an individual student gets stuck with a task and needs help.
Group V
Since this age group increasingly has extensive language studies in their schools, it is appropriate that we sometimes make comparisons between different languages.
This group is now making thorough studies of all parts of speech and, among other things, practicing the declensions of nouns, all tenses of verbs, the comparative forms of adverbs and adjectives, different classes of pronouns and the use of prepositions. In addition, this class studies the concrete and abstract nature of nouns. In sentence construction, we discuss errors in reference, subject and object, how to formulate questions and direct or reverse word order. Much of the teaching takes place through joint reviews on the chalkboard with explanations of concepts followed by tasks in exercise books where the students work individually or in pairs. As far as spelling is concerned, we are now tackling the many different spellings of the sj sound. The homework consists of longer reading assignments, translation assignments, vocabulary exercises and some homework assignments are followed up by homework tests. The material for reading is becoming increasingly relevant or at least related to the students' own experiences, whether it is reflected in contemporary issues or in historical material. Formal exercises in workbooks are used to reinforce concepts, and discussions and oral presentations train students to give statements on a variety of topics. In this class, it is important that students are taught almost exclusively in Swedish, as we make exceptions for students on specific occasions. Most often, it is when comparing with English or other languages that it may be necessary to use English to point out language-typical elements in front of the whole class.
Group VI
Since students sometimes spend three to four years in this final class, there are big differences between the “beginners” and those of graduation age.
Group VI is primarily concerned with expanding vocabulary through extensive reading assignments. Special interest is given to special expressions and etymology. Systematic and repetitive exercises throughout the grammar area aim to consolidate basic skills. In particular, written skills and the use of rich and expressive language are practiced. Students are encouraged to correct themselves and to express themselves personally. Since we use newspaper and magazine texts and read Swedish fiction, a lot of time is spent deciphering slang, time-based expressions, professional phrases and making comparisons with other languages. We make overviews of grammatical rules, such as the declensions and the utrum and neuter rules; introductory adverbial clauses, etc. to repeat and consolidate much of the material that the students have previously gone through in the lower groups. Students also study regular grammar texts to better understand the rules that govern the use of various endings and similar phenomena. In this context, other languages are also used, mainly English, Spanish and French, to highlight similarities and differences. Homework largely consists of reading longer sections in short stories or novels; reading and translating difficult words in newspaper articles and practicing grammar in special exercise books for Swedish as a second language. In addition, the students regularly discuss current issues to practice expressing themselves with precision and in a nuanced way. Teaching is in Swedish, with the exception of the times we do comparative language analyses or try to translate unusual special expressions. Dictionaries are also used extensively for this group to find synonyms and broaden their vocabulary. The goal of the oldest group's teaching is to prepare them to participate freely in a Swedish conversation and to enable them to understand newspaper articles, radio and TV without major difficulties.