How do I plan an IB MYP unit?
How do I plan an IB MYP unit?
Resources that fit
Units that slot into an MYP planner
Sciences, humanities and language units with the content and practice already built, ready to sit under your statement of inquiry; tap any cover for the full preview, contents and price.
Climate Change Data Lab – Understanding Climate Change Through Real Data
Macronutrients: Carbohydrates, Fats & Proteins
Cybersecurity: Phishing & Social Engineering – Computer Science Unit: Worksheets, Projects & Slides (Grades 6–9)
Laboratory Safety – Science Classroom Rules, Hazards & Emergency Procedures | Safety Workbook | GRADE 5–9
Physics Complete – Ready-to-Use Curriculum for Middle School Physics
Step by step
How to build the unit planner
- Choose the conceptual framePick one key concept, one or two related concepts and the global context that gives the unit a reason to exist.
- Write the statement of inquiryJoin those concepts into one arguable sentence, then draft factual, conceptual and debatable questions that open it up.
- Design the summative firstWrite the task against the criteria you will assess, with task-specific clarifications students can actually read.
- Map ATL skills, then lessonsDecide which approaches to learning the task demands, then sequence lessons and formative checks that build them.
What's covered
What a downloadable unit gives your planner
The content and practice arrive finished, so your planning time goes on the conceptual framing.
- Four levels of graduated tasks
- Editable slides for inquiry lessons
- Answer keys with worked reasoning
- Lesson plan with timings
- Printable and digital versions
Make it work for everyone
Differentiation and criterion evidence
MYP criteria are assessed on a best-fit judgement, so you need more than one piece of evidence per criterion before you can defend a level. Run the tiered tasks as formative work, keep the scripts, and by the time the summative arrives you already know which students are stuck on criterion C rather than on the science itself.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Are these resources approved by the IB?
No. Nothing here is produced, authorised or endorsed by the International Baccalaureate. The MYP is a framework rather than a prescribed syllabus, so units are written to the concepts and skills the subject groups cover and you supply the conceptual frame. Everything is editable, which is what makes that adaptation quick.
How long should an MYP unit be?
Long enough for the inquiry to develop, which in most schools means four to six weeks. Shorter than that and the debatable question never gets argued properly; much longer and students lose the thread between the statement of inquiry and the task. Two formative checkpoints inside the unit is a sensible rhythm.
Do I have to assess all four criteria in every unit?
No, and trying to usually produces thin evidence. The IB expects each criterion to be assessed at least twice across the year in each subject group, so departments normally map coverage across the whole unit sequence. Two criteria assessed properly in one unit beats four assessed superficially.
Get the planner done, then teach
Pick up a finished unit and spend your time on the inquiry.
Browse ready-made units →