Science in Year 7: what Lärkompis practises
In Year 7 of Swedish school (around age 13), Lärkompis practises 14 skills in science (biology, physics and chemistry), linked to 17 of 35 items in the core content of Lgr22, the Swedish national curriculum, for Years 7–9. The areas are body and health; nature and environment; physics in nature and society; chemistry in nature, society and the human body; and systematic investigations and examination of information. Each skill has five difficulty levels, and the skills are practised in 5 mini-games, including Kunskapsjakten (Knowledge Hunt), Labbet (The Lab) and Vändspelet (The Flip Game).
Lgr22 sets out core content for each stage (Years 7–9), not for each year. So Lärkompis spreads the skills across the years using its own time windows, and these are estimates. For Year 7, this means that 11 skills start this year and 3 skills started earlier and are still being practised. The figure 17 of 35 counts the items in the core content from Skolverket (the Swedish National Agency for Education) that at least one skill links to; it does not mean the whole item is covered.
What Lärkompis practises in Year 7
The 14 skills in science in Year 7 are grouped into 5 areas following Skolverket's syllabus. Under each skill you can see the first and the last difficulty level, so you know how far the exercises go.
Body and health
- Cell nucleus, cell membrane, mitochondria, chloroplasts and cell wall Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
- How health is affected by diet, sleep, exercise, stress and addictive substances Level 1: Choose the right word from three options, with pictures. Level 5: Match five pairs, plus harder guess-first questions.
Nature and environment
- DNA, genes, chromosomes, GMOs and CRISPR Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
- Mutations, natural selection and how species are related Level 1: Questions with at most three clearly different options. Level 5: Match four question–answer pairs, plus mixed yes/no questions.
Physics in nature and society
- Kinetic, potential, thermal, chemical and radiant energy Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed.
- Inertia, acceleration, resultant force, action and reaction, weight and mass Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
- X-rays, UV, infrared, microwaves, radio waves and gamma rays Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
Chemistry in nature, society and the human body
- Protons, neutrons, electrons and the atomic nucleus Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed.
- Raw materials, processing, life cycle assessment and recycling Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
- Carbohydrates, proteins, fats and what they do in the body Level 1: Choose one of four answers. Level 5: Mixed.
- Elements, chemical symbols, atomic numbers, electron shells and valence electrons (atomic numbers 1–20) Level 1: Which element has this symbol? Match four symbols. Level 5: Electrons in the outer shell.
- Neutralisation, combustion, corrosion, liming, photosynthesis and biodegradation Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
Systematic investigations and examination of information
- Searching for information, evaluating sources and arguing about questions of environment, health and energy Level 1: Choose the right word from three options, with pictures. Level 5: Match five pairs, plus harder guess-first questions.
- Testable questions, variables, planning, sources of error and averages Level 1: Choose the right word from three options, with pictures. Level 5: Match five pairs, put five steps in order, spot the faulty measurement and answer harder guess-first questions.
What the syllabus says, in short
The Lgr22 core content for Years 7–9 in science, summarised in our own words for the parts Lärkompis practises in Year 7. Read the full text in Skolverket's English translation of Lgr22.
- Evolution, heredity and genes, and ethical questions about genetic engineering.
- The greenhouse effect, climate change and different energy sources.
- Elements, natural cycles and methods for separating and analysing substances, for example filtering and measuring pH.
- Chemical processes in soil, air and water, and how they relate to the environment and health.
How to help at home with science in Year 7
Year 7 starts the last stage (Years 7–9), with more teachers and more to keep track of. For many, help with planning (what needs doing when, and what counts as a test) is worth more than help with the tasks themselves. Let your teenager lead: choices within limits strengthen motivation. Ask curious questions (“why do you think that happens?”) and try small experiments at home, for example in the kitchen or on a walk.
- Keep reading together for years. Keep reading aloud, or listening to a book together, long after your child can read on their own. Talk about the text. It builds vocabulary and togetherness. Recent studies suggest the effect is smaller than once thought, but it is still good time spent together. When reading: about 15 minutes.
- Better questions than “how was school?”. Try: “What was the most fun/hardest thing today?”, “What made you laugh?”, “Tell me something you learned that I don’t know.” Give it time and wait. Silence is an answer too. As a conversation: about 5 minutes.
- Pause when things boil over. Nobody learns anything in the heat of the moment. Say “let’s take a break: water and five minutes”. Come back with a smaller piece. Your relationship is worth more than the homework. When it is hard going: about 5 minutes.
- Offer choices within limits. Ask “do you want to do your homework before or after your snack?” instead of “sit down now”. Choices within limits strengthen a sense of control without the rules disappearing. As a conversation: about 5 minutes.
How you can tell it has clicked in Year 7
- Carbohydrates, proteins, fats and what they do in the body: Your child can give examples of foods high in carbohydrates.
- Elements, chemical symbols, atomic numbers, electron shells and valence electrons (atomic numbers 1–20): Your child knows the most common chemical symbols.
- Neutralisation, combustion, corrosion, liming, photosynthesis and biodegradation: Your child can explain why lakes are limed.
- Testable questions, variables, planning, sources of error and averages: Your child works out the average and spots a faulty measurement.
Common pitfalls in Year 7
- Cell nucleus, cell membrane, mitochondria, chloroplasts and cell wall: Thinks animal cells have a cell wall.
- DNA, genes, chromosomes, GMOs and CRISPR: Thinks GMO just means plant breeding.
- Kinetic, potential, thermal, chemical and radiant energy: Thinks energy can be used up and disappear.
- Inertia, acceleration, resultant force, action and reaction, weight and mass: Thinks weight and mass are the same thing.
If science practice in Year 7 often ends in tears or takes far too long, stop for the day and write a few lines to the teacher about what was hard. That is useful information for the school, not a failure.
Games that practise it
In Year 7 science, Lärkompis uses 5 mini-games. In these games, playing is the practice, so your child learns while they play. There are no points or streaks, and no ads.
Kunskapsjakten (Knowledge Hunt)
A quiz show in a TV studio, where Vera leads the questions up a ladder. There are lifelines but no points: the ladder fills up with the questions your child has worked through. In Year 7, the game practises 14 skills: cell nucleus, cell membrane, mitochondria, chloroplasts and cell wall; DNA, genes, chromosomes, GMOs and CRISPR; how health is affected by diet, sleep, exercise, stress and addictive substances; kinetic, potential, thermal, chemical and radiant energy; and more.
Labbet (The Lab)
Guess first, then find out. The tasks are based on checked facts. In Year 7, the game practises 14 skills: cell nucleus, cell membrane, mitochondria, chloroplasts and cell wall; DNA, genes, chromosomes, GMOs and CRISPR; how health is affected by diet, sleep, exercise, stress and addictive substances; kinetic, potential, thermal, chemical and radiant energy; and more.
Vändspelet (The Flip Game)
A memory game where two cards that go together stay face up, for example 3 + 4 and 7. In Year 7, the game practises 4 skills: how health is affected by diet, sleep, exercise, stress and addictive substances; elements, chemical symbols, atomic numbers, electron shells and valence electrons (atomic numbers 1–20); searching for information, evaluating sources and arguing about questions of environment, health and energy; and testable questions, variables, planning, sources of error and averages.
Sorteringsbandet (The Sorting Belt)
A calm conveyor belt of things that your child puts in the right box by following a rule. In Year 7, the game practises 1 skill: elements, chemical symbols, atomic numbers, electron shells and valence electrons (atomic numbers 1–20).
Tidslinjen (The Timeline)
Your child puts cards on a line in the right order, for example events, steps or numbers. A card in the right place turns over and shows the answer. In Year 7, the game practises 1 skill: testable questions, variables, planning, sources of error and averages.
Questions about science in Year 7
What does Lärkompis practise in science in Year 7?
Lärkompis has 14 skills in science in Year 7, for example “Cell nucleus, cell membrane, mitochondria, chloroplasts and cell wall”; “DNA, genes, chromosomes, GMOs and CRISPR”; “How health is affected by diet, sleep, exercise, stress and addictive substances”; “Kinetic, potential, thermal, chemical and radiant energy”; and “Inertia, acceleration, resultant force, action and reaction, weight and mass”. Each skill has five levels. In “Cell nucleus, cell membrane, mitochondria, chloroplasts and cell wall”, for example, level 1 is “Choose from three options” and level 5 is “Mixed, in all formats”. The app adjusts the level to how your child is doing.
What comes after Year 7 in science?
In Year 8, Lärkompis practises 18 skills in science, and new that year are “How health is affected by diet, sleep, exercise, stress and addictive substances”; “Eutrophication, acidification, invasive species, extinction and deforestation”; and “Reproduction, sexuality, consent, sexually transmitted infections and contraception”. Most of it builds on what your child practised in Year 7.
Which mistakes are common in science in Year 7?
Common mistakes that Lärkompis covers include “Thinks animal cells have a cell wall” in “Cell nucleus, cell membrane, mitochondria, chloroplasts and cell wall” and “Thinks GMO just means plant breeding” in “DNA, genes, chromosomes, GMOs and CRISPR”. When an answer is wrong, the app shows how to think it through instead of just marking it wrong, and the parent panel shows what your child is practising right now.
Does Lärkompis follow Lgr22 in science in Year 7?
Yes. Every exercise in science in Year 7 is linked to an item in the Lgr22 core content for Years 7–9; 17 of 35 items in science (biology, physics and chemistry) have at least one linked skill. Lärkompis is a complement at home and does not replace teaching.
How much does it cost to practise science in Year 7 with Lärkompis?
Lärkompis costs SEK 49, once, for all subjects and every child in the family, with future updates included. You can try science in Year 7 for free first, without an account.
More years and subjects
The same year in other subjects:
