Springboard and the National Languages Strategy

Many schools used to teach children the recorder, not to produce a nation of recorder players, but as a preparation for learning other instruments.

Springboard uses Esperanto, not to produce a nation of Esperanto-speakers, but as a preparation for learning other languages.

^ Go to top of page

Why does Springboard use Esperanto?

• Esperanto is an ideal 'apprentice' or 'starter' language bringing together elements from other languages and with structures and word-building features which appeal to young learners. Many of its words and phrases are instantly recognisable (e.g. la suno brilas = the sun shines).
  
  
• Its regular grammatical structure helps learners to develop a feel for nouns, verbs and adjectives, etc.
  
  
• It is used in some 90 countries round the world and is perfect for learning about other cultures and lifestyles.
  
  

^ Go to top of page

The National Languages Strategy

Implementing the Languages Strategy is a challenge for many primary schools, particularly those with no access to specialist foreign language expertise.

The Springboard project offers a comprehensive programme of language awareness development and introduction to languages for pupils at KS2, easily implemented by a non-specialist teacher of foreign languages. By using a regular, phonetic language as a springboard to foreign language learning the project aims to:

• increase a pupil's awareness of language structure generally
• highlight the links between languages
• stimulate a love of, and interest in, language-learning through creative manipulation of the language
• encourage a positive self-image in each pupil as a successful language learner

^ Go to top of page

KS2 Literacy and Numeracy

Springboard uses Esperanto, a living language, to build an awareness of language structure and grammar. For example, using the root-word rapid and the regular word-endings (all nouns end in o, adjectives end in a, adverbs in e, etc.) learners can build words themselves.

• rapida = fast (adjective)
• rapide = quickly (adverb)
• rapidi = to hurry (infinitive)
• rapido = speed (noun)
• rapidu! = Hurry up! (imperative)

As Esperanto is perfectly regular (no exceptions), pupils can easily calculate how many words they are able to create from one root and how many they could build by learning, say, five roots. In fact, by using simple affixes like mal- (opposite) and -ul- (person) they can easily manipulate the language and create lots more words.

• rapidega = (adjective) very fast/hurried
• rapidulo = (noun) someone in a hurry
• malrapide = (adverb) slowly (opposite of quickly)
• malrapideti = (verb) to slow down a little

The recommended course for Y3 is Urso-Kurso, specially designed to appeal to young learners encountering a different language for the first time. Workbooks introduce core vocabulary, highlight grammatical endings and provide assimilation exercises. Each book is accompanied by a CD of dialogues and songs. Additional worksheets and activity sheets allow for differentiation, stretching the more able and supporting those who need extra practice.

Place-value is an important and sometimes difficult concept for pupils to grasp. Esperanto, being a regular language, has a consistent and easily explained number system.

• unu = 1
• du = 2
• dek = 10
• dek unu = 11
• dudek unu = 21
• cent = 100
• ducent dudek unu = 221
• mil = 1000
• mil ducent dudek unu = 1,221

Fractions are denoted by a suffix -on-, e.g:

• 2= du, 1/2= duono
• 4= kvar, 1/4= kvarono

^ Go to top of page

Concepts and skills

A pupil following Urso-Kurso for a year will be introduced to the following concepts:

• Parts of speech
• Tenses of verbs: past, present and future
• Imperatives
• Comparatives of adjectives and adverbs
• Adjectival agreement
• The accusative case and agreement
• Prefixes and suffixes
• Sentence structure and word order

Pupils will learn to:

• introduce themselves
• ask questions
• formulate replies
• use a dictionary
• read a simple text
• write about themselves
• sing songs
• perform a short playscript

^ Go to top of page

A flying start to language learning

Springboard builds a firm foundation of knowledge and understanding of foreign languages and helps enrich and consolidate a learner's knowledge of English. The first book of Urso-Kurso, sufficient for one term's work, covers six topic-blocks of vocabulary and provides a list of foreign friends to which each Esperanto word is related.

Here are some examples:

Topic one - colours: griza = grey
    French has gris, Italian has grigio, English has grizzled.

Topic two - animals: kato = (cat)
    Swedish has katt, German has katze, Russian has kot.

Topic three - numbers: ok = (eight)
    Latin has octo, Greek has οκτω, English has octagon.

Topic four - shapes: cirklo = (circle)
    Latin has circulus, Spanish has circulo, French has cercle.

Topic five - the body: piedo = (foot)
    French has pied, Italian has piede, Spanish has pie, English has pedestrian.

Topic six - the family: patro = (father)
    Latin has pater, Italian has padre, Spanish has padre, English has paternal.

[return to Springboard home page]