Norwegian subject curriculum (NOR1-04)

Basic skills

Basic skills are integrated in the competence aims where they contribute to development of the competence in the subject, while also being part of this competence. In Norwegian, basic skills are understood as follows

Being able to express oneself orally in Norwegian means having the ability to listen and speak and to evaluate the elements in a complex verbal situation, which is a requirement for communicating with others when it comes to socialising, working and participation in public life. Conversations about texts are of decisive significance for hte pupils' learning and development. Speaking and listening are essential human activities that are developed in the subject of Norwegian through systematic training in different oral genres and activities.

Being able to express oneself in writing in Norwegian is also a goal of the Norwegian subject curriculum, from the initial writing lessons to the development of writing skills throughout the 13 years of schooling. The use of written language in society is increasing, not least through the development of digital communication forms, and the demand for the mastering of written production in various genres has increased. Writing is a way of developing and structuring ideas and thoughts, but is also a form of communication and a method of learning.

Being able to read in Norwegian is a basic skill that the Norwegian subject curriculum takes special responsibility for, through initial reading training and continuing this training throughout all the 13 years of schooling. Reading is both a skill and cultural competence. Being able to read covers the ability to locate information in different texts, learning subject matter and experiencing and understanding reasoning and assertions in a wide range of texts. Reading depends on cultural understanding, and reading also develops cultural understanding. Through reading pupils take part in textual culture and may thus develop the ability to interpret and understand various texts. Thus they gain experiences which enable pupils to learn and perceive and to understand themselves and society.

Numeracy in the subject of Norwegian is a skill that assumes command of a different language than a spoken language. These languages nevertheless have a common knowledge base relating to concept development, logical reasoning and problem solving. This also applies to the understanding of form, system and composition. When pupils read composite texts and factual prose their understanding is enhanced by graphs, tables and statistics.

Digital literacy in the subject of Norwegian is necessary to master new text forms and ways of expressing oneself. This opens up new learning arenas and allows new possibilities in teaching reading and writing, as well as the production, composition and editing of texts. In this context it is vital to develop the ability to critically assess and use sources. Using digital tools may support and develop the pupils' communication and presentation skills.