---
game: mankwala
name: Mankwala — The Word Doctor
file: mankwala_v1.html
subject: Literacy
grades: 2-6
languages: en, bem, nya, ton, loz
score-format: stars
content-version: 1.0.0
source-file: mankwala_v1.html
source-hash: bf7a208ce28c9d59
---

# Mankwala — The Word Doctor · Curriculum Map

A literacy tile game with a medical frame: named Zambian patients arrive with
"withered words", and learners cure them by assembling correct spellings and
sentences from letter/word tiles. Difficulty tracks follow Grades 2-6 plus a
Zambian-culture track, with distractor letters and (at Grade 6) a countdown timer.

## Learning Objectives

- Spell grade-appropriate vocabulary from 3-4 letter sight words (Grade 2) up to
  abstract civic vocabulary such as INDEPENDENCE, CONSTITUTION and DEMOCRACY (Grade 6).
- Construct grammatically correct sentences from word tiles, from simple statements
  ("The sun is big") to civic sentences ("Copper mining supports the Zambian economy").
- Recognise and spell Zambian cultural, geographic and historical terms (LUSAKA,
  KWACHA, NSHIMA, COPPERBELT, LIVINGSTONE; "One Zambia One Nation").
- Reject distractor letters — checking spelling rather than guessing.
- Build vocabulary across curriculum themes via per-level tags (Animals, Health,
  Civics, Geography, Culture and more).

## Curriculum Alignment

| Game content | Zambian learning area | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 2-3 tracks | Literacy — phonics, sight words, simple sentences | [VERIFY: CDC syllabus topic codes] |
| Grade 4-5 tracks | Literacy — vocabulary growth, sentence structure | [VERIFY: CDC syllabus topic codes] |
| Grade 6 track | Literacy / Civics — abstract & civic vocabulary | Timer builds exam pace |
| Zambia culture track | Social Studies — national symbols, places, history | Cross-subject vocabulary |
| curriculumTags per level | Theme integration (Health, Environment, Agriculture, …) | 18 distinct tags across the content |

## Unit Map

| Unit | Title | Focus | Content | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 2 Track | First Words | 3-4 letter words and the simplest sentences | 10 levels (spelling + sentence types) with picture-emoji hints; no distractor letters | Per-level cure success, mistakes counted; streak flames |
| Grade 3 Track | Growing Words | Longer common words and simple sentences | 10 levels; +2 distractor letters | Per-level cure success and star ratings |
| Grade 4 Track | Confident Spelling | Multi-syllable vocabulary and fuller sentences | 10 levels; +2 distractor letters | Per-level cure success and star ratings |
| Grade 5 Track | Rich Vocabulary | Harder vocabulary and complex sentences | 10 levels; +3 distractor letters | Per-level cure success and star ratings |
| Grade 6 Track | Exam-Ready Words | Abstract and civic vocabulary under time pressure | 10 levels; +3 distractor letters + countdown timer | Timed cure success; star ratings |
| Zambia Track | One Zambia, One Nation | Zambian places, symbols, food and history | 10 levels of Zambian culture words and sentences; +2 distractors | Per-level cure success and star ratings |

## Content Inventory

- **6 tracks × 10 levels = 60 levels**, each `spelling` or `sentence` type with an
  emoji hint and curriculum tags.
- **12 named Zambian patients** (Mwansa, Chipo, Bwalya, Thandiwe, Mutale, Lubuto,
  Kunda, Chanda, Musonda, Temwani, Natasha, Mapalo) with sick/healed faces and comfort
  hearts; a recovery ward tracks cured patients.
- **18 curriculum theme tags** across levels (Animals, Environment, Grammar, Health,
  Values, Geography, Civics, Education, Community, Agriculture, Wildlife, Science,
  Economics, History, Culture, Human Rights, Tourism, Philosophy — each paired with
  Literacy).
- Distractor letters scale by grade (G3-4: +2, G5-6: +3, Zambia track: +2); Grade 6
  adds a countdown timer; streak flames reward consecutive cures.

## Assessment & Analytics

- Events emitted: `game_open`, `session_start`, `quiz_attempt`, `quiz_correct`,
  `quiz_wrong`, `level_complete`, `puzzle_complete` — all self-declaring
  `subject: 'Literacy'`, with `questionId: 'mankwala_g{grade}_l{level}'` and
  `zone: 'Grade {g}'`.
- Score format: `stars` (stars require low mistake counts — resets preserve the
  mistake tally, so stars reflect real accuracy).
- Teacher dashboard: per-grade zone data shows whether a learner is working at their
  own grade level; high `quiz_wrong` on spelling levels signals phonics gaps.

## AI & Accessibility Features

- **Ask Gogo literacy tutor** — "Zambian grandmother and literacy teacher" persona for
  gentle hints; never reveals the full answer.
- **AI level generation** — Gogo generates additional levels for the current grade
  with adaptive difficulty clamped to Grades 2-6.
- Full UI translation: English, Bemba, Nyanja, Tonga, Lozi (fail-to-English). Target
  words themselves are English/Zambian-proper-noun content by design.

## Lesson Planning Notes

- 15-25 minute literacy station activity: assign each learner their grade track and a
  target of 3-5 cured patients per session.
- The patient frame is motivating for reluctant spellers — read the patient's name and
  "symptoms" aloud to the class before play to build narrative buy-in.
- Use the Zambia track during Social Studies weeks — it doubles as national-symbols
  revision.
- Dictation bridge: after play, dictate the same words from the day's levels on paper;
  compare in-game and on-paper spelling accuracy.
- Differentiation: tracks are self-paced and independent — mixed-ability classes run
  simultaneously on different grades; the Grade 6 timer can be avoided for anxious
  learners by keeping them on Grade 5 vocabulary until ready.

## Change Log

| Date | Game Version | Change | Curriculum Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-11 | mankwala_v1.html | Full bug audit (v10.43.0): AI-round stars now judged over the round actually played (a PERFECT AI round previously capped at 1★ because first-try cures were divided by the whole grade list); tile RESET no longer refreshes the speed-bonus clock, attempt identity, grade-6 timer, or re-fires per-level analytics; reset/Ask-Gogo blocked during the cure celebration (state corruption); Ask Gogo strings ride the translation pipeline (were hardcoded English); button emoji moved outside translated labels (language switch stripped them); three hint emoji + UI emoji swapped to older Unicode for old-WebView compatibility (VILLAGE 🏡, TEACHER 👩🏾‍🏫, birds 🐣, stethoscope→💊); compact HUD breakpoints — the exit button clipped off-screen on narrow phones with the Grade 6 timer visible | Track/level/patient counts unchanged (6/60/12); three hint icons render differently; AI-round star fairness restored — earned stars now reflect round performance |
| 2026-08-09 | mankwala_v1.html | Progress/state consistency fix: language refresh no longer reloads the active level, and grade switches now reset from an immutable baseline content snapshot to prevent cross-grade mutation drift | No track/level-count change; preserves in-lesson continuity during language changes and keeps grade content stable for repeated class use |
| 2026-08-05 | (no game change) | Hash restamped: source-hash now computed over LF-normalized game HTML so stamps match on Windows and Linux/CI alike (v10.27.1 fix) | None - game content unchanged, documents remain valid |
| 2026-08-05 | mankwala_v1.html | Initial curriculum map authored (platform standard adoption, v10.25.0) | Baseline — 6 tracks, 60 levels, 12 patients, 18 theme tags documented |
