A man walking on a pathway between modern wooden and metal structures, surrounded by potted plants and flowers, during daytime.

progress ladder

Beginner → Advancing Beginner → Advanced Beginner → Lower Intermediate → Advancing Intermediate → Advanced

beginner:

Learn alphabet, basic greetings, numbers, home & family vocab, short self-introductions


advancing beginner:

Everyday phrases, time & weather, shopping & directions, short sentences, continuous conversation up to 8 minutes

advanced beginner:

Storytelling, cooking, travel, extended dialogue, music translation, continuous conversation up to 12 minutes

lower intermediate:

Past/present/future tenses, folktales, music & cultural analysis, debate, writing paragraphs, continuous conversation 12–15 minutes

advancing intermediate:

Near-fluent conversation, dialect adaptation, essay writing, persuasive debate, advanced music & media analysis, continuous conversation 15–20 minutes

advanced:

Full fluency, creative & professional writing, public speaking, real-time translation, continuous conversation 25–30+ minutes

sample curriculum +

session by session overview and objectives

all levels

All Sessions: Begin with mouth warm-ups & pronunciation drills

continuous igbo:

Each level gradually increases speaking time with the opportunity to practice in pairs, small groups, and solo exercises

interactive activities:

Designed for online use — polls, breakout rooms, screen-shared media, virtual scavenger hunts

gamified learning:

Games, role play, quizzes, lyric translations, storytelling chains, and timed challenges

cultural integration:

History, geography, proverbs, music, dance, and folk stories embedded into every lesson

writing practice:

Google Docs, Canva boards, or shared digital worksheets

assessments:

Conducted virtually with shared screens and oral/written exercises

level-by-level curriculum

beginner

  • Goals: Recognize letters, basic pronunciation, greetings, 50+ words, short introductions

  • Weekly Focus: Alphabet, greetings, numbers, household items, food, family, short conversations, review & assessment

  • Gamification & Culture: tonal identification, greetings, market, in-home scavenger hunt, food and cooking, family tree, conversation chain, Jeopardy & song

  • Continuous Igbo: 1–5 minutes

lower intermediate

  • Goals: 12–15 min conversation, multiple tenses, reading short articles, structured paragraphs

  • Weekly Focus: Past/present/future, market, folktales, music analysis, geography, proverbs, debate, review & assessment

  • Gamification & Culture: Timelines, market simulation, story reiteration, proverb storytelling, Igbo town hall, cultural showcases

  • Continuous Igbo: 12–15 minutes

advancing beginner

  • Goals: 5–7 min guided conversation, short sentences, 150+ words

  • Weekly Focus: Pronunciation speed, weather & time, shopping, directions, body parts, emotions, extended conversation, review & assessment

  • Gamification & Culture: Tones, weather reports, market simulation, maps, stories, hearing and singing

  • Continuous Igbo: 5–8 minutes

advancing intermediate

  • Goals: 15–20 min conversation, dialect recognition, essays, persuasive speaking, advanced music & media analysis

  • Weekly Focus: Speed & precision, dialect discovery, extended storytelling, music & poetry analysis, cultural debates, letter & essay writing, advanced comprehension, review & assessment

  • Gamification & Culture: increased, dialect identification, elders council debate, Village letter, listen & lead, Igbo cultural fairs

  • Continuous Igbo: 15–20 minutes

advanced beginner

  • Goals: 8–10 min conversations, sentence combinations, short paragraphs, 250+ words

  • Weekly Focus: Story building, home & family, food & recipes, travel, music & lyrics, proverbs, extended dialogue, review & assessment

  • Gamification & Culture: visual identification, family tree, Igbo cuisine, traveling home, lyric identification, igbo proverbs

  • Continuous Igbo: 8–12 minutes

advanced

  • Goals: 25–30 min conversation, full fluency, creative & professional writing, public speaking, real-time translation, capstone project

  • Weekly Focus: Register control, advanced proverbs, public speaking, translation, creative writing, music & media analysis, mastery challenge, capstone & certification

  • Gamification & Culture: Language swap, proverb puzzle, cultural parliament, local news, culture critic, role reversal, Igbo traditional ceremonies

  • Continuous Igbo: 25–30+ minutes