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📐 The Lesson Standard

Every lesson across all 10 tracks follows a structured format: a flowing narrative passage, a target formula or key concept, vocabulary in context, roleplay scenarios, and critical thinking questions. Academic sources are cited at the bottom of every lesson to encourage further research and verification.

🌍
Track 01

The Unbiased Atlas

De-biased geography — exploring what maps show, what they hide, and who decides what counts as the centre of the world. From Costa Rica's militaryless democracy to Rwanda's drone revolution to Mauritania's ancient desert libraries.

BEGINNER
Costa Rica: The Country Without an Army
A1–A2

In 1948, Costa Rica made a radical decision: it abolished its military. Instead of investing in weapons, the country invested in education, healthcare, and rainforest conservation. Today, Costa Rica is one of the most peaceful and ecologically diverse nations on Earth. This lesson explores how a small Central American nation chose peace over war — and what the rest of the world can learn from it.

Target Concept: Peace is a choice, not an inheritance. Costa Rica proves that national security can be built through education and environmental stewardship rather than military strength.
📚 Vocabulary in Context
  • Abolish — to formally end or put a stop to something.
  • Conservation — the protection of natural resources and environments.
  • Ecologically diverse — having a wide variety of plants and animals in a natural environment.
  • Stewardship — the responsible management and care of something valuable.
🎭 Roleplay Scenarios
  • You are a Costa Rican diplomat. Explain to a skeptical nation why abolishing the military was beneficial.
  • You are a student in 1948. Write a letter to your president supporting the decision to invest in education instead of weapons.
  • You are a journalist. Interview a Costa Rican farmer about how peace has allowed the rainforest to thrive.
🧠 Critical Questions
  • Can a country survive without a military? What are the risks and benefits?
  • How does investing in education and healthcare contribute to national security?
  • What would your country look like if it redirected military spending to environmental conservation?
  • Why do most global media outlets ignore Costa Rica's alternative model of security?
Source: Booth, J. A. (1998). Costa Rica: Quest for Democracy. Westview Press. | CEFR: A1–A2
INTERMEDIATE
Rwanda: The Drone That Saves Lives
B1–B2

Rwanda, a small landlocked country in East Africa, built the world's first national drone delivery network for medical supplies. Zipline drones now deliver blood, vaccines, and emergency medicines to remote hospitals in minutes — bypassing terrible roads and saving thousands of lives. This lesson examines how African innovation is solving problems that the rest of the world has given up on.

Target Concept: Innovation does not require wealth; it requires imagination and political will. Rwanda's drone network is proof that the Global South can lead in technology.
📚 Vocabulary in Context
  • Landlocked — surrounded by land with no coast.
  • Infrastructure — the basic physical systems of a country (roads, electricity, etc.).
  • Autonomous — able to operate independently without human control.
  • Disruptive — causing radical change to an existing system.
🎭 Roleplay Scenarios
  • You are a Rwandan minister. Pitch the drone network to a foreign investor.
  • You are a rural nurse. Describe how receiving medicine by drone has changed your work.
  • You are a journalist for a Western news outlet. Write a piece that doesn't use the "Africa is poor" trope.
🧠 Critical Questions
  • Why does the Western media often frame African innovation as a "surprise" rather than a norm?
  • What would it take for your country to implement a similar drone delivery system?
  • How does the drone network challenge the stereotype that Africa is technologically backward?
  • What other problems in your community could be solved with autonomous technology?
Source: Zipline International. (2020). Rwanda Drone Delivery Data. | CEFR: B1–B2
ADVANCED
Mauritania: The Libraries of Chinguetti
C1–C2

Chinguetti, a small desert city in Mauritania, once served as a crucial stop on the trans-Saharan trade route. Hidden in its dusty homes are thousands of medieval manuscripts — legal treatises, astronomical charts, and philosophical works that predate many European libraries. This lesson interrogates the erasure of African intellectual history from global narratives, and asks who gets to write history.

Target Concept: Knowledge is power, and the erasure of African intellectual history is not an accident. It is a deliberate act of epistemic colonization.
📚 Vocabulary in Context
  • Manuscript — a handwritten document, usually from a historical period.
  • Astronomical charts — maps of the stars and planets used for navigation and science.
  • Epistemic — relating to knowledge and the way we know things.
  • Erasure — the removal or deliberate ignoring of something from history.
🎭 Roleplay Scenarios
  • You are a historian arguing for the inclusion of Chinguetti manuscripts in a global textbook.
  • You are a UNESCO official. Justify why the libraries should be preserved as World Heritage.
  • You are a student from Mauritania. Explain to your classmates why African history is rarely taught in schools.
🧠 Critical Questions
  • Why are ancient African manuscripts rarely included in "world history" textbooks?
  • Who decides what counts as "civilization" and "intellectual heritage" in global education?
  • How does the erasure of African intellectual history affect the way African students see themselves?
  • What would a genuinely global history curriculum look like?
Source: Cleaveland, T. (2002). Becoming Walata: A History of Saharan Social Formation. Heinemann. | CEFR: C1–C2
🏛️
Track 02

Power & Perspective

Colorism, cartographic bias, media hegemony, and the language of power. Who gets to tell the story, whose story gets erased, and how language itself can be a tool of both oppression and liberation.

BEGINNER
Different Maps, Different Worlds
A1–A2

Have you ever noticed how big Greenland looks on a map? On the Mercator projection, Greenland appears almost the same size as Africa. But in reality, Africa is fourteen times larger! This lesson introduces the idea of cartographic bias — and how the maps we use are not neutral.

Target Concept: Maps are not objective; they reflect the political interests of the people who make them.
📚 Vocabulary
  • Projection — a system for showing a round globe on a flat surface.
  • Distortion — the act of changing the true shape or size of something.
  • Accurate — correct and precise; without error.
  • Bias — a tendency to favor one thing over another, often unfairly.
🎭 Roleplay
  • You are a geography teacher. Explain to your students why the Mercator map is inaccurate.
  • You are a student seeing the true size of Africa for the first time. Describe your reaction.
  • Why do you think the Mercator projection is still used in schools?
  • How might seeing Africa as smaller affect how people view the continent?
Source: Monmonier, M. (1996). How to Lie with Maps. University of Chicago Press. | CEFR: A1–A2
INTERMEDIATE
Shutter Bias: Race and the Camera
B1–B2

For decades, colour film was calibrated using the "Shirley card" — a reference image of a light-skinned woman. As a result, darker skin tones were poorly captured by cameras, appearing as underexposed shadows. This lesson explores the hidden racial bias embedded in everyday technology, and what it reveals about systemic injustice.

Target Concept: Technology is never neutral. It is designed by humans and often reflects the biases of the people who build it.
📚 Vocabulary
  • Calibrate — to adjust an instrument so it works accurately.
  • Underexposed — a photograph that is too dark because not enough light reached the film.
  • Systemic — relating to an entire system, rather than individual parts.
🎭 Roleplay
  • You are a photographer in the 1980s. Explain why your photos of darker-skinned subjects keep turning out poorly.
  • You are a film engineer. Defend the use of the Shirley card to a diversity committee.
  • How do you think the Shirley card affected the self-image of darker-skinned people?
  • What modern technologies might still contain hidden bias?
Source: Roth, L. (2009). Looking at Shirley: Race, Gender, and the Making of a Photographic Standard. | CEFR: B1–B2
ADVANCED
The Language of Hegemony
C1–C2

Political headlines often use the passive voice to obscure accountability. "Civilians were killed" erases the agent. "Mistakes were made" hides the maker. This lesson examines how grammatical voice is weaponized in media to protect the powerful and blame the marginalised.

Target Concept: Grammar is political. The choice between active and passive voice is a choice about who holds responsibility.
📚 Vocabulary
  • Hegemony — leadership or dominance, especially by one group over others.
  • Accountability — the fact of being responsible for your actions.
  • Obfuscate — to make something unclear or difficult to understand.
🎭 Roleplay
  • You are a newspaper editor. Rewrite a headline to hide the government's responsibility.
  • You are a media critic. Analyze a news story and point out the passive voice constructions.
  • Why do governments and corporations prefer the passive voice in crisis statements?
  • How does the active voice change the reader's perception of responsibility?
Source: Fairclough, N. (1989). Language and Power. Longman. | CEFR: C1–C2
🤖
Track 03

The Digital Horizon

AI ethics, surveillance capitalism, digital footprints, and cybersecurity. Navigating technology not as passive users but as informed, critical citizens who understand what is being done with their data and attention.

BEGINNER
Playing Games Safely Online
A1–A2

Online games are fun, but they can also be dangerous. This lesson teaches basic digital safety: creating strong passwords, keeping your personal information private, and recognizing suspicious messages from strangers.

Target Concept: Your digital safety is your responsibility. Never share your real name, address, or school with someone you have not met in real life.
📚 Vocabulary
  • Password — a secret word used to log into an account.
  • Stranger danger — the risk posed by unknown people online.
  • Suspicious — seeming wrong or likely to be unsafe.
🎭 Roleplay
  • You are a parent teaching your child to stay safe online.
  • You are a gamer who received a suspicious link. What do you do?
  • What should you do if someone asks for your address in a game?
  • Why is it important to use different passwords for different websites?
Source: Common Sense Media. (2022). Digital Citizenship for Kids. | CEFR: A1–A2
INTERMEDIATE
Your Digital Footprint
B1–B2

Every click, search, and scroll you make creates a digital footprint. Companies collect this data to build profiles on you, which they sell to advertisers. This lesson explores what data is collected, why it is valuable, and how you can protect your digital sovereignty.

Target Concept: If you are not paying for the product, you are the product. Your data is more valuable than you think.
📚 Vocabulary
  • Data — facts and statistics collected for analysis.
  • Privacy — the state of being free from public attention.
  • Consent — permission for something to happen.
🎭 Roleplay
  • You are a tech company CEO. Defend your data collection practices to a journalist.
  • You are a privacy advocate. Warn a group of students about their digital footprints.
  • Do you feel comfortable with companies collecting your data? Why or why not?
  • How much control do you think you have over your own data?
Source: Zuboff, S. (2019). The Age of Surveillance Capitalism. PublicAffairs. | CEFR: B1–B2
ADVANCED
Surveillance Capitalism
C1–C2

Shoshana Zuboff argues that we have entered a new economic era: surveillance capitalism. Tech giants no longer just sell products; they sell behavioral predictions. This lesson critically analyzes how human experience is being translated into data, commodified, and used to shape our actions without our knowledge.

Target Concept: Surveillance capitalism is a threat to human autonomy. It predicts and modifies human behavior for profit.
📚 Vocabulary
  • Commodification — turning something into a product that can be bought and sold.
  • Autonomy — the right of self-governance and free will.
  • Behavioral surplus — the extra data generated by our online behavior.
🎭 Roleplay
  • You are a scholar presenting Zuboff's thesis to a government panel.
  • You are a tech lobbyist. Argue that surveillance capitalism is beneficial to society.
  • What does it mean to say that human experience is being "translated into data"?
  • Can we reverse surveillance capitalism, or is it a permanent shift?
Source: Zuboff, S. (2019). The Age of Surveillance Capitalism. PublicAffairs. | CEFR: C1–C2
🧠
Track 04

The Philosophical Mind

Ubuntu, Stoicism, ecology, and global ethics — philosophy from African, Eastern, and Western traditions in genuine dialogue with each other. No single tradition holds the monopoly on wisdom here.

BEGINNER
What Is Fair?
A1–A2

Fairness is a simple word with a complex meaning. This lesson introduces Ubuntu philosophy — "I am because we are" — and asks young learners to think about what fairness means in their families, schools, and communities.

Target Concept: Fairness is not about giving everyone the same thing; it's about giving everyone what they need to thrive.
📚 Vocabulary
  • Fairness — the quality of treating people equally or in a way that is right.
  • Community — a group of people living together in one area.
  • Ubuntu — a Southern African philosophy meaning "I am because we are."
🎭 Roleplay
  • You are a teacher. Explain fairness to your class using a real-life example.
  • You are a student. Share a time when something felt unfair to you.
  • Is it fair to give everyone the exact same thing?
  • How does Ubuntu help us think about fairness differently?
Source: Tutu, D. (1999). No Future Without Forgiveness. Doubleday. | CEFR: A1–A2
INTERMEDIATE
The Dichotomy of Control
B1–B2

Epictetus, a Stoic philosopher, taught that we must clearly distinguish between what is in our control and what is not. Our thoughts, judgments, and actions are in our control. External events, other people's opinions, and the past are not. This lesson explores how applying this ancient wisdom can reduce anxiety and build resilience.

Target Concept: Worrying about things you cannot control is a waste of energy. Focus only on what you can do, and let the rest go.
📚 Vocabulary
  • Dichotomy — a division into two very different things.
  • Resilience — the ability to recover quickly from difficulties.
  • External — coming from outside; not within your power.
🎭 Roleplay
  • You are a Stoic mentor. Guide a student through a difficult situation using the dichotomy.
  • You are a student. Explain to a friend why you are not stressed about an upcoming exam.
  • What things in your life are you currently worrying about that are outside your control?
  • How does this philosophy help you deal with anxiety?
Source: Epictetus. (c. 108 AD). The Enchiridion. | CEFR: B1–B2
ADVANCED
Ubuntu in the Age of Individualism
C1–C2

Ubuntu, often translated as "I am because we are," stands in direct contrast to Western individualism. This lesson interrogates whether Ubuntu is a nostalgic ideal or a viable alternative to neoliberal capitalism. Can a philosophy of collective interdependence survive in a world built on competition?

Target Concept: Ubuntu challenges the foundational assumptions of Western philosophy — that the individual is the primary unit of reality.
📚 Vocabulary
  • Interdependence — the state of depending on each other.
  • Neoliberal — a political philosophy that favors free-market capitalism.
  • Collective — shared or done by a group of people.
🎭 Roleplay
  • You are a philosopher. Debate a Western economist on the value of Ubuntu.
  • You are a community leader. Describe how Ubuntu practices could transform a corporate workplace.
  • Can Ubuntu be applied to global governance or is it too culturally specific?
  • What would a society built on Ubuntu look like economically?
Source: Ramose, M. B. (1999). African Philosophy Through Ubuntu. Mond Books. | CEFR: C1–C2
🎬
Track 05

TED-Ed Thinkers

Active listening, academic vocabulary, and the art of engaging seriously with ideas that challenge what you think you know. The goal is not comprehension — it is transformation.

BEGINNER
The Waggle Dance of the Honeybee
A1–A2

Honeybees communicate with a dance. They wiggle their bodies to tell other bees exactly where to find flowers. This lesson introduces scientific listening and the wonder of non-human intelligence.

Target Concept: Communication is not exclusive to humans. Animals have complex languages of their own.
📚 Vocabulary
  • Waggle dance — a bee's movement that communicates direction and distance.
  • Nectar — a sweet liquid produced by flowers, used by bees to make honey.
  • Colony — a group of animals living together.
🎭 Roleplay
  • You are a bee. Teach another bee where to find flowers using the waggle dance.
  • You are a scientist. Explain to a class why bees are important to humans.
  • How do bees help humans survive?
  • What other animals communicate in surprising ways?
Source: von Frisch, K. (1967). The Dance Language and Orientation of Bees. Harvard UP. | CEFR: A1–A2
INTERMEDIATE
How Language Shapes Thought
B1–B2

Does the language you speak change the way you see the world? Lera Boroditsky's research shows that it does. This lesson explores linguistic relativity — how different languages shape different ways of thinking about time, space, and causality.

Target Concept: Language is not just a tool for expressing thought; it actively shapes thought.
📚 Vocabulary
  • Linguistic relativity — the theory that language influences thought.
  • Causality — the relationship between cause and effect.
  • Perception — the way you see or interpret something.
🎭 Roleplay
  • You are a researcher presenting Boroditsky's findings at a conference.
  • You are a student from a multilingual country. Describe how your languages shape your thinking differently.
  • Does your native language shape how you think about time or direction?
  • Why do you think most studies on this topic are done in Western languages?
Source: Boroditsky, L. (2011). "How Language Shapes Thought." Scientific American. | CEFR: B1–B2
ADVANCED
The Illusion of Time
C1–C2

Carlo Rovelli, a theoretical physicist, argues that time as we experience it — a continuous present flowing from past to future — may not exist at all. This lesson introduces the physics of time, challenging students to question their most basic assumptions about existence, memory, and identity.

Target Concept: Time is not a universal constant; it is a local phenomenon shaped by gravity and motion.
📚 Vocabulary
  • Physicist — a scientist who studies matter, energy, and the universe.
  • Continuous — without any breaks or interruptions.
  • Constant — unchanging across time and space.
🎭 Roleplay
  • You are a physicist. Explain to a poet why the past is not "gone."
  • You are a philosopher. Debate whether time is real or an illusion.
  • If time is an illusion, what happens to our concept of memory and identity?
  • How does this theory change the way you view your daily life?
Source: Rovelli, C. (2018). The Order of Time. Riverhead Books. | CEFR: C1–C2
🍲
Track 06

Global Gastronomy

Food sovereignty, seed patents, the Columbian Exchange, and the geopolitics of what we eat. Food as culture, as history, as resistance — and as one of the most contested political arenas in the modern world.

BEGINNER
The History of Rice
A1–A2

Rice is one of the most important foods in the world. It feeds more than half of all humans. This lesson traces the journey of rice from ancient China to dinner plates across the globe — and the incredible human labor and migration that carried it along the way.

Target Concept: What we eat connects us to history, geography, and the people who came before us.
📚 Vocabulary
  • Staple — a main or important part of a diet.
  • Domesticate — to raise plants or animals for human use.
  • Harvest — the process of gathering crops.
🎭 Roleplay
  • You are a Chinese farmer 5,000 years ago. Describe the first time you harvested rice.
  • You are a chef. Explain to a customer where the rice on their plate comes from.
  • Why do you think rice became such an important crop?
  • What other foods do you eat that have a long history?
Source: Chang, T. T. (1976). "The Origin of Rice." Rice Journal. | CEFR: A1–A2
INTERMEDIATE
The Columbian Exchange
B1–B2

In 1492, Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas. What followed was not just colonization, but a dramatic exchange of plants, animals, and diseases between the Old World and the New. This lesson explores how the Columbian Exchange permanently altered every plate of food on Earth — and the violent history hidden behind your dinner.

Target Concept: Globalization is not new. The Columbian Exchange was one of the earliest and most transformative global events.
📚 Vocabulary
  • Exchange — the act of giving and receiving something.
  • Epidemic — a widespread outbreak of disease.
  • Maize — corn, a staple crop originally from the Americas.
🎭 Roleplay
  • You are a Taino person in 1493. Describe the arrival of the Europeans and the animals they brought.
  • You are a European historian. Explain the positive and negative impacts of the exchange.
  • Was the Columbian Exchange a net positive or negative for humanity?
  • How might world cuisine look today without the exchange?
Source: Crosby, A. (1972). The Columbian Exchange. Greenwood Press. | CEFR: B1–B2
ADVANCED
Seed Sovereignty
C1–C2

Multinational corporations have patented thousands of indigenous seed varieties. This means farmers can no longer save and replant their own seeds without paying royalties. This lesson explores the global movement of farmers fighting to reclaim the right to own the seeds that sustain them, and why seed sovereignty is essential to food security and cultural survival.

Target Concept: Seed sovereignty is the foundation of food sovereignty. Without the right to save seeds, farmers lose control of their food systems.
📚 Vocabulary
  • Patent — a legal right that gives an inventor exclusive control over an invention.
  • Indigenous — originating naturally from a particular place.
  • Sovereignty — the right of a people to govern themselves.
🎭 Roleplay
  • You are a farmer from India. Testify before a court about how corporate seed patents have affected your life.
  • You are a corporate lawyer. Defend the patent system to a non-governmental organization.
  • Can a corporation ethically own a seed that has been cultivated for centuries?
  • What are the long-term consequences of losing seed diversity?
Source: Shiva, V. (2016). Who Really Feeds the World? North Atlantic Books. | CEFR: C1–C2
🎨
Track 07

Junior Explorers

Designed specifically for ages 6–11. Visual, creative, and age-appropriate English instruction that sparks genuine curiosity rather than drilling rules. Exercises are hands-on, imaginative, and joyful.

🌱 Junior Explorers note: All lessons in this track are adapted for children aged 6–11. Grammar exercises are visual and interactive. Critical questions are age-appropriate explorations of fairness, nature, and community. No adult-level academic activities appear in this track.

JUNIOR
My Green Home
A1

Students design their own eco-friendly home using basic vocabulary for rooms, nature, and sustainability. Drawing, describing, and presenting — language through creative making.

Target Concept: Our homes can be beautiful and good for the planet at the same time.
📚 Vocabulary
  • Garden — a space outside where plants grow.
  • Recycle — to turn waste into something new.
  • Solar panel — a device that turns sunlight into electricity.
🎨 Creative Activity
  • Draw your ideal green home.
  • Describe it to your instructor using the new words.
  • What are three things you can do to make your home greener?
  • Why is it important to take care of the planet?
Source: Adapted for Junior Explorers (Ages 6–8). | CEFR: A1
JUNIOR
The Game of Tag: Sports Around the World
A1–A2

How children play the same chasing game across every culture on earth. This lesson builds present simple and continuous grammar through movement and comparison.

Target Concept: People are more alike than different — we all love to play!
📚 Vocabulary
  • Tag — a game where one person chases others.
  • Chase — to run after someone.
  • Freeze — to stop moving completely.
🎭 Roleplay
  • Teach your instructor how to play a game from your childhood.
  • Compare your favourite game to a game from another country.
  • What is your favourite game to play with friends?
  • What do you think children in other countries play?
Source: Adapted for Junior Explorers (Ages 8–11). | CEFR: A1–A2
JUNIOR
Animals of Africa
A2

A continent-wide exploration of African wildlife — describing habitats, behaviours, and conservation challenges through vocabulary building and illustrated narration.

Target Concept: Africa is home to the world's most incredible wildlife, and it is our job to protect it.
📚 Vocabulary
  • Savanna — a grassy plain with few trees.
  • Herbivore — an animal that eats plants.
  • Carnivore — an animal that eats meat.
🎭 Roleplay
  • You are a safari guide. Describe an elephant to a group of tourists.
  • You are a zookeeper. Explain why we need to protect animals like rhinos.
  • Which African animal is your favourite, and why?
  • Why do you think some African animals are endangered?
Source: Adapted for Junior Explorers (Ages 9–11). | CEFR: A2
Track 08

Sports & Global Play

Indigenous sports, sportswashing, soft power, and athletic identity. The politics of play — from the origins of Kabaddi to the use of mega-events to launder reputations.

BEGINNER
Tag, You're It: A Universal Game
A1–A2

How the simple act of chasing and tagging appears in every culture on earth — and what it reveals about play, community, and the universal language of childhood.

Target Concept: Play is one of the few truly universal human experiences.
📚 Vocabulary
  • Chase — to follow quickly in order to catch.
  • Universal — shared by all people.
🎭 Roleplay
  • You are a child in Japan. Describe your version of tag.
  • You are a child in Kenya. Describe your version of tag.
  • What other games are played everywhere?
  • Why do you think tag is so popular across the world?
Source: Adapted for Beginner Learners. | CEFR: A1–A2
INTERMEDIATE
Sepak Takraw: The Flying Game
B1–B2

Southeast Asia's extraordinary rattan ball sport — where players spike the ball using bicycle kicks in mid-air. Athletic sovereignty and the overlooked traditions of non-Western sports.

Target Concept: Athletics is culturally diverse. What we call "sport" is often just what we are familiar with.
📚 Vocabulary
  • Rattan — a type of climbing palm used in furniture and crafts.
  • Bicycle kick — a kick where the player's body moves backwards while the leg kicks.
🎭 Roleplay
  • You are a Sepak Takraw player. Describe the sport to a group of international athletes.
  • Why is Sepak Takraw not as famous as football or basketball?
Source: Adapted for Intermediate Learners. | CEFR: B1–B2
ADVANCED
Sportswashing & Soft Power
C1–C2

How authoritarian governments use mega-events — World Cups, Olympics, Formula One — to launder their international reputations while domestic abuses continue unchallenged.

Target Concept: Sport is not apolitical. It is a powerful tool for diplomacy, propaganda, and soft power.
📚 Vocabulary
  • Sportswashing — using sports to improve a reputation despite human rights abuses.
  • Soft power — the ability to influence others through culture and values.
🎭 Roleplay
  • You are a human rights advocate. Argue against your country hosting a World Cup.
  • You are a sports journalist. Cover the tension between spectacle and ethics.
  • Should countries with poor human rights records host global sports events?
  • Is it possible to separate sport from politics?
Source: Adapted for Advanced Learners. | CEFR: C1–C2
🎥
Track 09

Global Cinema & Narrative

Nollywood, Wayang Kulit, Kishōtenketsu — how storytelling structures shape what we believe is real, normal, and possible. Cinema as political act, not just entertainment.

BEGINNER
Wayang Kulit: Shadow Puppets of Java
A1–A2

Indonesia's ancient shadow puppet tradition — a 1,000-year-old storytelling form that encodes philosophy, history, and community values in light and leather.

Target Concept: Storytelling is one of the oldest human technologies.
📚 Vocabulary
  • Puppet — a movable figure controlled by a person.
  • Shadow — a dark shape made by blocking light.
🎭 Roleplay
  • You are a Wayang Kulit artist. Explain to a tourist why shadows are important in your culture.
  • What stories do you love to hear or tell?
  • Why do you think humans have always loved stories?
Source: Adapted for Beginner Learners. | CEFR: A1–A2
INTERMEDIATE
Nollywood: The Revolution on Video Tape
B1–B2

How Nigerian filmmakers built the world's second-largest film industry using cheap cameras and local markets — bypassing Hollywood entirely and telling their own stories.

Target Concept: You do not need Hollywood's money to tell a story that the world needs to hear.
📚 Vocabulary
  • Distribution — the process of getting a film to audiences.
  • Independent — not controlled by big studios.
🎭 Roleplay
  • You are a Nollywood filmmaker. Pitch your film to a local distributor.
  • Why do you think Nollywood succeeded where other film industries failed?
  • What stories does Hollywood not tell?
Source: Adapted for Intermediate Learners. | CEFR: B1–B2
ADVANCED
Kishōtenketsu: Narrative Without Conflict
C1–C2

The Japanese four-act structure that builds meaning through twist and resolution rather than conflict — and what it reveals about whose storytelling model dominates global culture.

Target Concept: Conflict is not the only engine of narrative. Some of the most powerful stories are built on surprise and revelation.
📚 Vocabulary
  • Kishōtenketsu — a Japanese narrative structure: introduction, development, twist, conclusion.
  • Conflict — a struggle or opposition.
🎭 Roleplay
  • You are a screenwriter. Defend a film that has no conflict.
  • Why do we assume all good stories need conflict?
  • What might a global narrative look like if it used Kishōtenketsu?
Source: Adapted for Advanced Learners. | CEFR: C1–C2
🎮
Track 10

Gaming & Interactive Worlds

Esports, dark patterns, algorithmic manipulation, and digital sovereignty. The rapidly expanding world of interactive technology — and the cognitive and political stakes it carries.

BEGINNER
Playing Games Safely Online
A1–A2

Digital literacy for new users — passwords, stranger safety, screen time limits, and the basic architecture of how online games are designed to keep you playing.

Target Concept: Games are designed to be fun, but they are also designed to keep you playing. Know the tricks.
📚 Vocabulary
  • Screen time — the amount of time spent looking at a screen.
  • In-app purchase — buying things inside a game.
🎭 Roleplay
  • You are a concerned parent. Talk to your child about safe gaming.
  • How much screen time is healthy?
  • Why do games have in-app purchases?
Source: Adapted for Beginner Learners. | CEFR: A1–A2
INTERMEDIATE
Esports: South Korea's Digital Arena
B1–B2

How South Korea built the world's first professional esports infrastructure — and what the rise of competitive gaming means for sport, identity, and national investment.

Target Concept: Esports is not just "playing games." It is a multi-billion-dollar industry with serious athletes.
📚 Vocabulary
  • Esports — competitive video gaming.
  • Infrastructure — the basic systems required to support an industry.
🎭 Roleplay
  • You are a professional esports player. Describe your daily routine.
  • Should esports be in the Olympics? Why or why not?
  • What makes esports different from traditional sports?
Source: Adapted for Intermediate Learners. | CEFR: B1–B2
ADVANCED
Dark Patterns & the Attention Economy
C1–C2

How game designers engineer compulsive behaviour through loot boxes, variable reward schedules, and emotional state tracking — and the ethics of designing for addiction.

Target Concept: If a product is free, you are the product. The attention economy is designed to extract your time and focus.
📚 Vocabulary
  • Dark pattern — a deceptive design trick to get users to do something they don't intend.
  • Variable reward — a reward that comes at unpredictable intervals, making it addictive.
🎭 Roleplay
  • You are a game designer. Defend loot boxes to a government regulator.
  • You are a psychologist. Explain why variable rewards are addictive.
  • Should governments regulate loot boxes as gambling?
  • What responsibility do tech companies have for user wellbeing?
Source: Adapted for Advanced Learners. | CEFR: C1–C2