Channel 4 Learning


Teachers' Notes

Sweden

The following sites contain interesting information, and are also suitable for children.

http://www.sverigeturism.se/smorgasbord/index.html
- over 850 pages of information on all things Swedish

http://www.visit-sweden.com
- information on visiting Sweden

http://www.sweden.com/photos/
- great photos of Sweden

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/europe/sweden/
- essential Swedish facts and information

Questions before watching the programme:
How many things can the children think of that are "typically Swedish"?

Questions during viewing:
What do the people from other countries think of Swedish people? Are they right?
Is Sweden an old-fashioned or a modern country?

After watching the programme:

STUDENT WORKSHEET

The pupils can answer some of the questions after watching the TV programme, while others need to be researched using an atlas, encyclopædia, text book, the ‘We are from’ website or other internet sites. Some questions can be filled in on the worksheet, but most will require a separate answer sheet.

Answers to the assignments



  1. The Swedish flag



  2. Map of Europe highlighting the location of Sweden



  3. Map of Sweden showing the location of Stockholm

  4.  
Capital: Stockholm
Population: 8,850,000
Area: 450,000 sq km
People per sq km: 19.7
Language: Swedish
Currency: Swedish Krona (SKr); 1SKr = £0.07p

Answers to viewing questions

  1. The children are selling flowers to raise money for charity. They mention that some of the money raised goes towards helping disabled children.

  2. Hannah’s school is unusual in that the pupils plan the lessons. They are told their objectives for the week, and have to plan when to cover them.

  3. Of course, most children would rather be a pop star than a scout! However, children should also recognise that although Hannah’s life looks like it is more fun, the work that Henrietta and the other scouts are doing to raise money for charity is very good. They also have time to relax and go camping in the woods, which is great fun. Hannah’s life is very busy, and she doesn’t have much time to just stop and relax.

Answers to optional assignments

  1. The main advantage of living in the north of Sweden, even in the winter, is that it is a very beautiful place with forests, lakes and wildlife. However, when it is dark and cold staying inside a lot could be very boring. It would be hard to even get out of bed when it is constantly dark, and simple things like walking to your friends house would be much more difficult. Playing just about any sport would need floodlights.

  2. Although 24 hours of sun would mean that the weather was warmer, it would also be a very strange experience. In particular, going to bed when it was still light would be very hard.

  3. Opinion question. While it would be a chance to meet new friends and learn new skills, military service might get in the way of other things you would like to do when you are 20 – go to college or university, get a job etc.

  4. Opinion question.

Internet Assignment

Moose are 2m high and weigh as much as 400 – 500kg. There are about 250,000 moose in Sweden.