# YUSI — School & Educator Brief **For: School Principals, Curriculum Coordinators, Classroom Teachers** **Version 1.0** --- ## What is YUSI? YUSI is the platform that turns film watching into structured learning. We curate world cinema — primarily short films, alongside selected documentaries and feature-length works — and map every one to your curriculum standards. Each film comes with a complete teacher package: preparation materials, discussion frameworks, and student reflection tools. Short films are our primary focus because they fit: a 20–30 minute film watched and discussed in a single class period. No splitting across sessions. No "we'll finish next week." Complete story, complete lesson, complete impact — all within one school period. You select the film. We provide the lesson. --- ## The Problem Every Teacher Knows You already know that students engage more deeply with stories than with textbooks. You've seen a class come alive when you bring in a film clip. You've watched students who never participate in discussion suddenly have something urgent to say after watching something that moved them. But using film in the classroom has always been complicated: - **Finding the right film** takes hours you don't have - **Justifying it to administration** requires curriculum alignment documents you don't have time to write - **Building the lesson around it** means another evening of prep - **The technical side** — sourcing, copyright, projector compatibility — is a headache **YUSI removes every one of these obstacles.** --- ## How YUSI Works ### 1. Browse by Subject and Grade Open YUSI and search by your subject area and grade level. Every film in the library has been reviewed by educators and mapped to curriculum standards. You'll see exactly which learning objectives it addresses. ### 2. Read the Teacher Guide Every film comes with a complete lesson package: - **Context brief** — What you need to know before showing this film - **Pre-viewing activities** — How to activate student knowledge and curiosity - **Discussion questions** — Structured for different levels of engagement (from recall to analysis to personal response) - **Assessment options** — Reflection rubrics, essay prompts, creative alternatives - **Cross-subject connections** — How this film could be used by a colleague in another department ### 3. Show the Film Stream directly in the classroom. Subtitles in Arabic and English (varies by title). No downloads, no copyright risk, no piracy concern. ### 4. Guide Student Reflection After the film, students access YUSI's reflection space — a safe, school-managed environment where they respond to prompts, keep a private journal, and participate in moderated peer discussion. ### 5. See the Results Your administration dashboard shows viewing completion, reflection participation, and a simple report you can share with your curriculum coordinator to document learning objectives met. --- ## Sample Films by Subject | Subject | Grade | Film | Runtime | From | |---------|-------|------|---------|------| | Language Arts | 9 | *Stutterer* (Benjamin Cleary) | 13 min | Ireland/UK · 2015 · **Oscar winner** | | Social Studies | 7 | *Sing* (Kristóf Deák) | 25 min | Hungary · 2016 · **Oscar winner** | | English / EFL | 10 | *Two Cars, One Night* (Taika Waititi) | 11 min | New Zealand · 2003 · Oscar nominated | | History | 11 | *An Irish Goodbye* (Berkeley & White) | 23 min | UK/Ireland · 2022 · **Oscar winner** | | Science & Environment | 8 | *The Dam Keeper* (Kondo & Tsutsumi) | 18 min | USA · 2014 · Oscar nominated | | Citizenship | 6 | *Hair Love* (Matthew A. Cherry) | 7 min | USA · 2019 · **Oscar winner** | | Ethics | 9 | *Feeling Through* (Doug Roland) | 18 min | USA · 2020 · Oscar nominated | | Arts | 10 | *La Maison en Petits Cubes* (Kunio Kato) | 12 min | Japan · 2008 · **Oscar winner** | | Culture & Geography | 8 | *Nefta Football Club* (Yves Piat) | 17 min | Tunisia/France · 2019 · Oscar nominated | *This is a sample. The full library is continuously expanded in consultation with curriculum specialists.* --- ## What Teachers Tell Us *(Quotes from early conversations and curriculum research — to be replaced with real testimonials from pilot schools)* > "I've been using film in class for years, but always felt guilty about the time it took to justify it. YUSI gives me the curriculum documentation I need in seconds." > "My Grade 9 students watched *Stutterer* and it sparked the most sustained discussion I've had in four years of teaching. The reflection space let the quieter students have their say." > "I sent the cross-subject connection to my Science colleague and she used the same film two weeks later for a completely different unit. The students loved the connection." --- ## For Curriculum Coordinators ### How YUSI Fits Your Curriculum YUSI aligns to: - **IB MYP and DP** (Media Studies, Language and Literature, Individuals and Societies) - **Cambridge IGCSE and A Level** (English Literature, Global Perspectives, Media Studies) - **National curriculum frameworks** — custom mappings available for your specific standards For each film, the curriculum alignment document specifies: - Strand and substrand - Learning objective codes - Competency level (knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation) - Assessment type compatibility **This documentation can be submitted directly to your curriculum review process.** ### Annual Reporting At the end of each school year, YUSI provides your school with: - Films used, by department - Learning objectives addressed - Participation and engagement metrics - Teacher satisfaction data --- ## For School Administrators ### What YUSI Costs **Annual school license:** Based on student enrollment - Up to 200 students: $3,000/year - 200–500 students: $5,000/year - 500–1,000 students: $7,000/year - 1,000+ students: Contact us for custom pricing Pricing includes: Full platform access, complete film library, all teacher guides, admin dashboard, technical support, and two teacher professional development sessions per year. ### What We Need to Get Started 1. A signed license agreement and purchase order 2. An IT contact for system integration (SSO/SAML optional but recommended) 3. A teacher champion — one enthusiastic teacher willing to go first 4. 90 minutes of staff professional development time to onboard teachers **That's it. First lesson is possible within the first week.** ### Data and Privacy - All student data is stored on servers within GDPR and PDPL compliance frameworks - Student data is never shared with third parties or used for commercial purposes - Schools retain full control over student accounts and data - YUSI complies with international standards for protection of minors' digital data - We support parental consent workflows and school data governance policies --- ## The Pilot Program Not ready to commit yet? We offer a **discounted pilot semester** for qualifying schools: **What you get:** - Full platform access for up to 3 classrooms - A curated film selection tailored to your active curriculum units - Teacher onboarding and support - Outcome reporting at the end of the semester **What we ask:** - 2 participating teachers willing to use YUSI twice per month - An end-of-semester survey from teachers and a sample of students - Permission to use anonymized outcome data in our research **Apply at:** yusiapp.com/pilot --- ## Professional Development for Teachers YUSI offers a **Film Pedagogy Certification** — a professional development program for teachers who want to deepen their practice with cinema-based learning. **Program:** 6 sessions, 60 minutes each (in-person or hybrid) **Outcomes:** Certified in film pedagogy methodology; able to design original film-based lessons; equipped to mentor colleagues **Schedule:** Offered twice yearly; open enrollment for YUSI schools; private cohort available for school groups of 8+ teachers --- ## Frequently Asked Questions **Q: How much class time does this take?** A: A standard film session is one class period (45–60 min). Short films — YUSI's primary format — are designed to fit completely: a 20–28 minute film leaves ample time for discussion and reflection within a single period. No splitting across sessions, no "to be continued." We recommend 2 sessions per month, which is approximately 2–4% of total instructional time. Research supports this as high-leverage — impact per minute is significantly higher than equivalent textbook time. **Q: What if the film has content that parents might object to?** A: Every film is reviewed for age-appropriateness before entering the library. Age-group filters are strict. If in doubt, teacher guides flag any potentially sensitive content with suggested classroom discussion approaches. Parents can request a content preview for any film their child's class will view. **Q: Can we use YUSI for clubs or after-school programs?** A: Yes. Your school license covers any educational use within school premises and hours, including clubs, film societies, and extended day programs. **Q: Is there an Arabic-language interface?** A: Yes. The teacher and student interface is available in Arabic. Teacher guides for Arab-world films are available in Arabic-primary format. All other guides are being translated on a rolling basis. **Q: Can we suggest films?** A: Absolutely. We have a film suggestion form and review teacher suggestions on a monthly basis. If a film you suggest is added to the library, you receive a credit on the film's curriculum page. --- ## Get Started **Request a pilot:** yusiapp.com/pilot **Schedule a school visit:** yusiapp.com/meeting **Email us:** hello@yusiapp.com --- *For questions about institutional licensing, government partnerships, or custom implementations, contact hello@yusiapp.com.*