Sachunterricht

Sachunterricht is a core primary school subject in many German-speaking regions, focused on the learner’s immediate world. It combines elements from geography, history, biology, technology, and civics to help children understand their surroundings and their role in society. The aim is to develop basic scientific and civic literacy through a concrete, experiential approach.

Content and topics typically include the environment and nature (plants, animals, weather, health), local geography and places in the community, time and historical change, everyday technology and materials, and social structures, institutions, rules, rights and responsibilities. The subject emphasizes relevance to the students’ lives, environmental awareness, and the ability to inquire and reason about everyday phenomena.

Pedagogy and methods center on active, student-centered learning. Teaching often uses investigations, simple experiments, field trips, project work, and problem-based tasks. Collaboration, communication, and the linking of Sachunterricht to language and mathematics are common. Methods aim to foster curiosity, critical thinking, and the ability to research local issues.

Organization and variation: the subject is organized at the state level in Germany, leading to differences in naming, content, and timetable across Länder. It is usually taught during the elementary years (approximately ages 6 to 10). In some states the subject is called Sachkunde or Lebensweltkunde, and its scope may be integrated with other disciplines or taught as a distinct course. Assessments are typically continuous, based on participation, portfolios, and teacher observations rather than standardized tests.