IB Middle Years Programme

MYP Unit Planner Template: Key Concepts, Global Contexts, and Duration

MYP planning works in units, not a month-by-month hour count — each with a key concept, a global context, and a duration in weeks. Here's a structure that holds up across a full year of units.

Independently developed by Fresh Start Planner — not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by any curriculum provider. Full disclaimer below.

What each unit needs

Unit title — the actual name you'll teach it under.
Key Concept — one of the sixteen: Aesthetics, Change, Communication, Communities, Connections, Creativity, Culture, Development, Form, Global interactions, Identity, Logic, Perspective, Relationships, Systems, Time/place/space.
Global Context — one of the six: Identities and relationships, Orientation in space and time, Personal and cultural expression, Scientific and technical innovation, Globalization and sustainability, Fairness and development.
Related concepts — the subject-specific concepts this unit actually develops, as many as are genuinely relevant.
Statement of inquiry — the sentence that ties key concept and global context to what students will actually explore.
Duration — most units run 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 weeks; estimate from what you know about the content, not a fixed default.
ATL skills — which Approaches to Learning category the unit builds toward.

The interdisciplinary requirement

MYP requires at least one interdisciplinary unit per year, spanning two subject groups. It's easy to lose track of this across a busy term — worth flagging on your own plan the moment you know which unit will carry it, rather than realising in June that nothing qualifies.

Checking your year actually fits

Add up the duration of every unit you've planned and compare it to the teaching weeks you actually have this year, holidays excluded. If your units add up to more weeks than you have, better to know that in September than discover it in May.

Fresh Start Planner builds this exact structure — plus a capacity check comparing your planned weeks against what's actually available this year — across MYP, DP, Cambridge, Edexcel and AP.

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Fresh Start Planner is an independently developed planning tool, not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by IB, Cambridge, Edexcel, AP or any curriculum provider. References to these curricula are descriptive only, to indicate compatibility. All trademarks remain the property of their respective owners. This page does not reproduce, replace or distribute any official curriculum documentation.