Science in Year 8: what Lärkompis practises
In Year 8 of Swedish school (around age 14), Lärkompis practises 18 skills in science (biology, physics and chemistry), linked to 22 of 35 items in the core content of Lgr22, the Swedish national curriculum, for Years 7–9. The areas are nature and environment; body and health; 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 8, this means that 14 skills start this year and 4 skills started earlier and are still being practised. The figure 22 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 8
The 18 skills in science in Year 8 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.
Nature and environment
- DNA, genes and chromosomes, plus dominant and recessive alleles in a Punnett square Level 1: Which trait do the alleles give? Two options. Level 5: The proportion with the dominant or the recessive trait.
- Eutrophication, acidification, invasive species, extinction and deforestation 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.
Body and health
- 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.
- Reproduction, sexuality, consent, sexually transmitted infections and contraception Level 1: Choose the right word from three options, with pictures. Level 5: Match five pairs, plus harder guess-first questions.
- Viruses, bacteria, antibiotic resistance, pandemics and how infections spread Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
Physics in nature and society
- Voltage, current, resistance, and series and parallel circuits Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed.
- Melting, solidification, vaporisation, condensation and sublimation Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed.
- Reflection, refraction, lenses and the spectrum Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
- Force, energy, power, pressure, density and speed with their SI units Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed.
- The greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases, albedo and radiation balance Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
Chemistry in nature, society and the human body
- Elements, molecules, ionic compounds and chemical reactions Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed.
- Diamond, graphite, carbon dioxide, organic compounds and carbon sinks Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
- Elements, chemical symbols, atomic numbers, electron shells and valence electrons (atomic numbers 1–20) (already starts in Year 7) Level 1: Which element has this symbol? Match four symbols. Level 5: Electrons in the outer shell.
- Acidic, neutral and alkaline Level 1: Choose one of three answers. Level 5: Mixed.
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 (already starts in Year 7) 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.
- How scientific models developed over time, how useful they are and how they change Level 1: Choose the right word from three options, with pictures. Level 5: Match five pairs, put five steps in order 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 8. Read the full text in Skolverket's English translation of Lgr22.
- Evolution, heredity and genes, and ethical questions about genetic engineering.
- Ecosystems, photosynthesis and how humans affect nature, locally and globally.
- The origin of the universe, and the particle model of how substances behave at different pressures and temperatures.
- 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.
How to help at home with science in Year 8
Year 8 is the middle of the last stage, with end-of-term grades every term. Agree together on a fixed time and place for homework, and let your child tell you what needs practising before the next test. Ask curious questions (“why do you think that happens?”) and try small experiments at home, for example in the kitchen or on a walk.
- 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.
- Write to the teacher when homework isn’t working. If homework often takes an unreasonably long time, ends in tears or can’t be done without you, write a few lines about what happened. The school needs that information to be able to adapt. When it is hard going: about 5 minutes.
- Talk maths and language in everyday life. Count kronor in the shop, measure in the kitchen, read signs and talk about the time of day. Short, cheerful moments in everyday life seem to help more than taking over the homework, especially if you feel unsure about maths yourself. Works in everyday life: about 10 minutes.
How you can tell it has clicked in Year 8
- The greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases, albedo and radiation balance: Your child can explain why we need the greenhouse effect and how it can become too strong.
- Elements, molecules, ionic compounds and chemical reactions: Your child can give an example of an element and of a molecule.
- Diamond, graphite, carbon dioxide, organic compounds and carbon sinks: Your child can explain why diamond and graphite are so different even though both are carbon.
- Acidic, neutral and alkaline: Your child knows that pH 7 is neutral.
Common pitfalls in Year 8
- Testable questions, variables, planning, sources of error and averages: Includes an obviously faulty measurement in the calculation.
- How scientific models developed over time, how useful they are and how they change: Thinks a model is the whole truth.
- How health is affected by diet, sleep, exercise, stress and addictive substances: Underestimates how quickly nicotine addiction develops.
- Eutrophication, acidification, invasive species, extinction and deforestation: Mixes up eutrophication and acidification.
If science practice in Year 8 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 8 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 8, the game practises 18 skills: DNA, genes and chromosomes, plus dominant and recessive alleles in a Punnett square; how health is affected by diet, sleep, exercise, stress and addictive substances; eutrophication, acidification, invasive species, extinction and deforestation; reproduction, sexuality, consent, sexually transmitted infections and contraception; and more.
Labbet (The Lab)
Guess first, then find out. The tasks are based on checked facts. In Year 8, the game practises 18 skills: DNA, genes and chromosomes, plus dominant and recessive alleles in a Punnett square; how health is affected by diet, sleep, exercise, stress and addictive substances; eutrophication, acidification, invasive species, extinction and deforestation; reproduction, sexuality, consent, sexually transmitted infections and contraception; 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 8, the game practises 7 skills: DNA, genes and chromosomes, plus dominant and recessive alleles in a Punnett square; how health is affected by diet, sleep, exercise, stress and addictive substances; reproduction, sexuality, consent, sexually transmitted infections and contraception; elements, chemical symbols, atomic numbers, electron shells and valence electrons (atomic numbers 1–20); and more.
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 8, the game practises 2 skills: testable questions, variables, planning, sources of error and averages; and how scientific models developed over time, how useful they are and how they change.
Sorteringsbandet (The Sorting Belt)
A calm conveyor belt of things that your child puts in the right box by following a rule. In Year 8, the game practises 1 skill: elements, chemical symbols, atomic numbers, electron shells and valence electrons (atomic numbers 1–20).
Questions about science in Year 8
What does Lärkompis practise in science in Year 8?
Lärkompis has 18 skills in science in Year 8, for example “DNA, genes and chromosomes, plus dominant and recessive alleles in a Punnett square”; “How health is affected by diet, sleep, exercise, stress and addictive substances”; “Eutrophication, acidification, invasive species, extinction and deforestation”; “Reproduction, sexuality, consent, sexually transmitted infections and contraception”; and “Viruses, bacteria, antibiotic resistance, pandemics and how infections spread”. Each skill has five levels. In “DNA, genes and chromosomes, plus dominant and recessive alleles in a Punnett square”, for example, level 1 is “Which trait do the alleles give? Two options” and level 5 is “The proportion with the dominant or the recessive trait”. The app adjusts the level to how your child is doing.
What comes after Year 8 in science?
In Year 9, Lärkompis practises 12 skills in science, and new that year are “DNA, genes and chromosomes, plus dominant and recessive alleles in a Punnett square”; “Populations, ecosystems, food webs, competition and producers”; and “Frequency, amplitude, decibels, ultrasound and infrasound”. Most of it builds on what your child practised in Year 8.
Which mistakes are common in science in Year 8?
Common mistakes that Lärkompis covers include “Includes an obviously faulty measurement in the calculation” in “Testable questions, variables, planning, sources of error and averages” and “Thinks a model is the whole truth” in “How scientific models developed over time, how useful they are and how they change”. 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 8?
Yes. Every exercise in science in Year 8 is linked to an item in the Lgr22 core content for Years 7–9; 22 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 8 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 8 for free first, without an account.
More years and subjects
The same year in other subjects:
