Everything you need to plan an MYP unit: how key concepts, global contexts, and statements of inquiry fit together, and how to write inquiry questions that drive real learning.
How an MYP unit is structured, from key concept and global context through to reflection — with a link to the downloadable Unit Planning Template.
Explore Guide →What a Statement of Inquiry is, how it's built from key concept + related concept + global context, and examples across subjects.
Explore Guide →The three types of inquiry questions used in MYP — factual, conceptual, and debatable — and how to write them well.
Explore Guide →Chapter 1 of the Unit Planning Series: why the MYP Unit Planner exists, the three curriculum components it ties together, backward design, and the three phases of an MYP unit.
Explore Guide →Chapter 2 of the Unit Planning Series: the four philosophical pillars behind the planner — concept-based learning, inquiry-based teaching, student agency, and international-mindedness.
Explore Guide →Chapter 3 of the Unit Planning Series: a guided walkthrough of the Inquiry, Action, and Reflection sections of the MYP Unit Planner and how they interconnect.
Explore Guide →Chapter 4 of the Unit Planning Series: how to choose a Key Concept, the 16 MYP Key Concepts, subject-group contributions, and the Rule of One.
Explore Guide →Chapter 5 of the Unit Planning Series: what Related Concepts are, how many to choose, and how to pair them with a Key Concept for intellectual synergy.
Explore Guide →Chapter 6 of the Unit Planning Series: the six MYP Global Contexts, their specific explorations, and how the chosen context reshapes a unit's direction.
Explore Guide →Chapter 7 of the Unit Planning Series: how to synthesize Key Concept, Related Concepts, and Global Context into one transferable, jargon-free Statement of Inquiry.
Explore Guide →Chapter 8 of the Unit Planning Series: the three tiers of Inquiry Questions — Factual, Conceptual, and Debatable — and how to design a pathway that drives the MYP Assessment.
Explore Guide →Chapter 9 of the Unit Planning Series: sequencing Inquiry Questions into a coherent line of inquiry that scaffolds from factual to conceptual to debatable.
Explore Guide →Chapter 10 of the Unit Planning Series: shifting from the 'sage on the stage' to the 'meddler in the middle,' and practical strategies — Visible Thinking, PBL, experiential learning — for making inquiry a daily reality.
Explore Guide →Chapter 11 of the Unit Planning Series: the ATL framework (Categories, Clusters, specific skills), backward-selecting skills from the assessment, and the 7-step model for explicit teaching.
Explore Guide →Chapter 12 of the Unit Planning Series: authentically weaving the IB Learner Profile's ten attributes into the Statement of Inquiry, ATL skills, and daily learning experiences.
Explore Guide →Chapter 13 of the Unit Planning Series: sequencing daily learning experiences, shared teacher regulation, scaffolding for diverse learners, and experiential/problem-based learning.
Explore Guide →Chapter 14 of the Unit Planning Series: the five professional inquiries, the IB's four principles of differentiated learning, and scaffolding language without lowering cognitive demand.
Explore Guide →Chapter 15 of the Unit Planning Series: criterion-related assessment, formative vs. summative processes, performances of understanding, and the best-fit approach.
Explore Guide →Chapter 16 of the Unit Planning Series: formative assessment as the daily bridge between teaching and learning, and diverse tools for generating actionable evidence of understanding.
Explore Guide →Chapter 17 of the Unit Planning Series: performances of understanding, the GRASPS framework, and drafting task-specific clarifications that keep assessment authentic.
Explore Guide →Chapter 18 of the Unit Planning Series: constructive alignment, Objectives vs. Criteria, Command Terms, and building task-specific rubrics that never lower the standard.
Explore Guide →Chapter 19 of the Unit Planning Series: the three timings of reflection, building student metacognition, and using assessment data to evaluate your own learning design.
Explore Guide →Chapter 20 of the Unit Planning Series: the iterative curriculum model, using assessment data as design feedback, and the Building Quality Curriculum (BQC) standard.
Explore Guide →Chapter 21 of the Unit Planning Series: the exact step-by-step, backward-design workflow for building an MYP Unit Plan from a blank template.
Explore Guide →Chapter 22 of the Unit Planning Series: a fully annotated Individuals & Societies unit plan — 'The True Cost of a T-Shirt' — with teacher commentary explaining every decision.
Explore Guide →Chapter 23 of the Unit Planning Series: the 6 most common MYP unit planning mistakes flagged by the IB's Building Quality Curriculum service, and how to fix each one.
Explore Guide →Chapter 24 of the Unit Planning Series (final chapter): a complete pre-teaching quality-audit framework and master checklist for verifying your MYP Unit Plan before you teach it.
Explore Guide →