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The aim of this study is to investigate the opportunities for oral language development that teachers offer pupils during lessons in Swedish in grade 3. The following questions guided the study: how do teachers perceive that they offer the pupils opportunities for oral language development in their teaching and what possibilities for oral language development do teachers offer pupils? The methods used to answer the questions are interview and observation of two teachers in two different classrooms. In all, two interviews and four observations were conducted. An observation schedule was used during the observations and the interviews were semi-structured, based on the same questions. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. The collected material showed that the oral activities which the teachers said they offered their pupils were working in pairs or small groups, whole-class conversations and drama. The teachers said that they interacted with the pupils through taking turns and asking questions. The activities the teachers offered their pupils during the four observations were whole-class conversations led by the teacher, structured conversations in small groups and spontaneous conversations among pupils and between pupils and teacher, and interactive book reading. The interactions used by the teachers took the form of speech, questions and body language. The conclusion of the study is that teachers must have more tools for taking advantage of opportunities to let the pupils develop their oral language. The view of what oral language development can involve should also be broadened.

In this study I have analysed three picture books from a gender perspective: Gittan gömmer bort sig, Vera och Vilgot i byggvaruhuset, and Superhjälte. The aim was to find out how the characters are presented from a gender perspective and whether traditional gender patterns are reinforced or challenged. The aim is to find signs of equality between the sexes. The method used is discourse analysis. The theory from which I proceed is gender-focused literature analysis. The analyses showed that several of the characters break traditional gender patterns and that the equality of the sexes is manifest. It is above all the children in the books who do not follow the norm, whereas the adults are more stereotyped. My perception is that these books seek to question traditional gender roles. A broad repertoire of books can help to affect children’s view of gender. School should uphold the equality of the sexes, and as teachers we can help to shape the children so that they do not get stuck in traditional patterns.