Social studies in Year 5: what Lärkompis practises
In Year 5 of Swedish school (around age 11), Lärkompis practises 23 skills in social studies (geography, history, religion and civics), linked to 36 of 50 items in the core content of Lgr22, the Swedish national curriculum, for Years 4–6. The areas are geographical conditions, patterns and processes; methods and tools of geography; sustainable development; population growth, changing power relations and emigration, approximately 1800–1900; cultural encounters and state formation in the Nordic region, approximately 800–1500; power relations and living conditions in the Nordic region, approximately 1500–1800; ethics and existential questions; religions and other worldviews; religion and society; rights and the administration of justice; decision-making and political ideas; information and communication; and individuals and communities. Each skill has five difficulty levels, and the skills are practised in 4 mini-games, including Kunskapsjakten (Knowledge Hunt), Labbet (The Lab) and Tidslinjen (The Timeline).
Lgr22 sets out core content for each stage (Years 4–6), not for each year. So Lärkompis spreads the skills across the years using its own time windows, and these are estimates. For Year 5, this means that 15 skills start this year and 8 skills started earlier and are still being practised. The figure 36 of 50 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 5
The 23 skills in social studies in Year 5 are grouped into 13 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.
Geographical conditions, patterns and processes
- Names and locations of countries, cities, rivers, mountains and deserts in Europe and the world Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
- Renewable and non-renewable natural resources Level 1: Choose from all the options. Level 5: Mixed, with all the examples.
- Names and locations of Sweden’s main regions, provinces, cities, lakes, rivers and mountains (already starts in Year 4) Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
Methods and tools of geography
- Fieldwork to explore natural and cultural landscapes Level 1: Which kind there was most of, with the numbers shown. Level 5: Totals and differences without the numbers shown.
- Scale, lines of latitude and longitude, and map keys Level 1: Grid map, two places in the same row or column. Level 5: Rotated map, distances at different scales and a map key.
- Reading position and compass direction between Swedish towns on a map (already starts in Year 4) Level 1: North or south between two towns, with three towns to compare. Level 5: Five towns in order and all eight compass points.
Sustainable development
- Causes of poverty and ill health, and the work for better living conditions through the UN Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
- How choices made by individuals and by society affect the environment and sustainable development Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
Population growth, changing power relations and emigration, approximately 1800–1900
- Emigration, immigration, urbanisation and industrialisation Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
- Historical sources (parish registers, letters, photographs, minutes) and how history is used in street names, advertising and museums Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
- New power relations in Sweden and the Nordic region: Finland in 1809, the union with Norway, the new elementary schools and the two-chamber Riksdag Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
Cultural encounters and state formation in the Nordic region, approximately 800–1500
- State formation, the spread of Christianity and living conditions in the Nordic region, 800–1500 Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
- The Viking Age and runes Level 1: Questions with at most three clearly different options. Level 5: Match four question–answer pairs, plus mixed yes/no questions.
Power relations and living conditions in the Nordic region, approximately 1500–1800
- The Viking Age, the Middle Ages, the Vasa era, the Age of Greatness and the Age of Liberty Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
Ethics and existential questions
- Everyday moral questions, questions about life and how religion is portrayed in the media Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
Religions and other worldviews
- Mecca, the Western Wall, the Ganges, Lumbini and Bethlehem Level 1: Choose from all the options. Level 5: Mixed, with all the examples.
- Holy scriptures in Judaism, Christianity and Islam Level 1: Questions with at most three clearly different options. Level 5: Match four question–answer pairs, plus mixed yes/no questions.
Religion and society
- The importance of Christianity in Sweden, past and present, and religious affiliation today Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
Rights and the administration of justice
- The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and children’s rights Level 1: Questions with at most three clearly different options. Level 5: Match four question–answer pairs, plus mixed yes/no questions.
- Sami, Tornedalians, Sweden Finns, Jews and Roma Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
Decision-making and political ideas
- The Riksdag (Swedish parliament) and democratic elections Level 1: Questions with at most three clearly different options. Level 5: Match four question–answer pairs, plus mixed yes/no questions.
Information and communication
- Using digital media responsibly and seeing different perspectives on social issues Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
Individuals and communities
- Social roles and norms, gender equality and society’s safety net for children Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
What the syllabus says, in short
The Lgr22 core content for Years 4–6 in social studies, summarised in our own words for the parts Lärkompis practises in Year 5. Read the full text in Skolverket's English translation of Lgr22.
- How landscapes are formed, where natural resources are found and how the climate affects the way people live.
- The Viking Age and the Middle Ages in the Nordic region, and how children, women and men lived then.
- Rituals, rules for living and holy places in Christianity, Islam and Judaism, and the main features of Hinduism and Buddhism.
- Roles and norms in families and friendships, and personal finance such as work, wages and spending.
- Looking critically at information and social issues.
How to help at home with social studies in Year 5
Year 5 is the middle of the middle stage. It pays to revise what was secure in Year 4 before new things are added on top, and to deal with small gaps while they are still small. Follow a news story or a topic for a week and ask “why did it happen, and what happens next?”. Ask your child to show where they read something and why they trust the source.
- Sit beside your child with your own book. You don’t need to know the answer. Have your own book or computer open, and answer questions with questions (“what is the question asking for?”). Being there without taking control supports independence. When it is hard going: about 15 minutes.
- Praise what your child did. Say “you didn’t give up when it got hard” or “you tried a new way” instead of “you’re so clever”. Praise for effort and strategy makes children more willing to take on challenges than praise for talent. As a conversation: about 5 minutes.
- Talk about mistakes as information. Say out loud when you make a mistake yourself and how you put it right. Ask your child: “What did you learn from this mistake?” Children pick up on how parents see failure, and it shapes how they see their own mistakes. As a conversation: about 5 minutes.
- 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.
How you can tell it has clicked in Year 5
- Emigration, immigration, urbanisation and industrialisation: Your child can explain why so many Swedes moved to America.
- State formation, the spread of Christianity and living conditions in the Nordic region, 800–1500: Your child can explain what the Kalmar Union was.
- The Viking Age, the Middle Ages, the Vasa era, the Age of Greatness and the Age of Liberty: Your child can put Sweden’s historical periods in the right order.
- The Viking Age and runes: Your child can explain what rune stones are and why Sweden has so many of them.
Common pitfalls in Year 5
- The importance of Christianity in Sweden, past and present, and religious affiliation today: Thinks the Church of Sweden is still the state church.
- The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and children’s rights: Thinks children get to decide everything they have the right to give their views on.
- Using digital media responsibly and seeing different perspectives on social issues: Thinks that what you write in a closed group never spreads.
- Sami, Tornedalians, Sweden Finns, Jews and Roma: Thinks the national minorities are people who have arrived recently.
If social studies practice in Year 5 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 5 social studies, Lärkompis uses 4 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 5, the game practises 23 skills: names and locations of countries, cities, rivers, mountains and deserts in Europe and the world; fieldwork to explore natural and cultural landscapes; causes of poverty and ill health, and the work for better living conditions through the UN; how choices made by individuals and by society affect the environment and sustainable development; and more.
Labbet (The Lab)
Guess first, then find out. The tasks are based on checked facts. In Year 5, the game practises 21 skills: names and locations of countries, cities, rivers, mountains and deserts in Europe and the world; fieldwork to explore natural and cultural landscapes; causes of poverty and ill health, and the work for better living conditions through the UN; how choices made by individuals and by society affect the environment and sustainable development; 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 5, the game practises 4 skills: reading position and compass direction between Swedish towns on a map; state formation, the spread of Christianity and living conditions in the Nordic region, 800–1500; new power relations in Sweden and the Nordic region: Finland in 1809, the union with Norway, the new elementary schools and the two-chamber Riksdag; and the Viking Age, the Middle Ages, the Vasa era, the Age of Greatness and the Age of Liberty.
Kartjakten (Map Hunt)
A made-up island with a compass rose, a map key and a scale bar: the map is the task. In Year 5, the game practises 1 skill: scale, lines of latitude and longitude, and map keys.
Questions about social studies in Year 5
What does Lärkompis practise in social studies in Year 5?
Lärkompis has 23 skills in social studies in Year 5, for example “Names and locations of countries, cities, rivers, mountains and deserts in Europe and the world”; “Fieldwork to explore natural and cultural landscapes”; “Causes of poverty and ill health, and the work for better living conditions through the UN”; “How choices made by individuals and by society affect the environment and sustainable development”; and “Scale, lines of latitude and longitude, and map keys”. Each skill has five levels. In “Names and locations of countries, cities, rivers, mountains and deserts in Europe and the world”, for example, level 1 is “Choose from at most three answers” and level 5 is “Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps”. The app adjusts the level to how your child is doing.
What comes after Year 5 in social studies?
In Year 6, Lärkompis practises 18 skills in social studies, and new that year are “Causes of poverty and ill health, and the work for better living conditions through the UN”; “Volcanoes, earthquakes, erosion, weathering and tectonic plates”; and “Primary sources, secondary sources, finds and uses of history”. Most of it builds on what your child practised in Year 5.
Which mistakes are common in social studies in Year 5?
Common mistakes that Lärkompis covers include “Thinks the Church of Sweden is still the state church” in “The importance of Christianity in Sweden, past and present, and religious affiliation today” and “Thinks children get to decide everything they have the right to give their views on” in “The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and children’s rights”. 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 social studies in Year 5?
Yes. Every exercise in social studies in Year 5 is linked to an item in the Lgr22 core content for Years 4–6; 36 of 50 items in social studies (geography, history, religion and civics) have at least one linked skill. Lärkompis is a complement at home and does not replace teaching.
How much does it cost to practise social studies in Year 5 with Lärkompis?
Lärkompis costs SEK 49, once, for all subjects and every child in the family, with future updates included. You can try social studies in Year 5 for free first, without an account.
More years and subjects
The same year in other subjects:
