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Creating IB PYP Unit Plans

The ManageBac+ Team
  • Updated
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Quick answer

Create PYP units from a class or with Quick Add (+) on any page, then add planning, resources and tasks.

For Primary Years Programme teachers. Create a unit of inquiry, build it with colleagues in real time, add resources and assessment, then export it as a PDF.

Screenshot: Units tab of an IB PYP Homeroom class, with the Classes menu open in the left-hand menu
Where to find it: Classes > your Homeroom class > Units
Stage What you do
1. Create a unit Quick Add or your Homeroom class
2. Find your way round the planner Tabs, collaboration and navigation tools
3. Plan Summary, Inquiry, Learning Goals, Specified and Additional Concepts, Developing IB Learners, ATL Skills, Action
4. Design & Implement, and Reflect Assessment, Learning Experiences and reflections
5. Lessons & Resources Lessons, resources and imports
6. Assessments tab Tasks and assessment coverage
7. Export a PDF planner Single or bulk PDFs

1. Create a unit

From the Quick Add menu

Screenshot: Quick Add (+) menu in the header
Quick Add opens from any page.

On any ManageBac+ page, select Quick Add (+) in the header. From here you can create a unit or task, or upload resources to an existing unit, without opening a class first.

From your Homeroom class

Go to Classes, choose your IB PYP Homeroom class and open the Units tab. Units show as cards, and you can switch to Weeks or Year view. Select Add Unit at the top, or Import Units to bring in existing units.

Screenshot: Add Unit form for a PYP Homeroom class, with Unit Template, Share with, Subjects, Timeline and draft options
Fill in the details and timeline, then add the unit.
  1. TemplateChoose the Unit Template, for example Unit of Inquiry: Primary Years, Unit of Inquiry: Early Years or Stand-alone. Your school's options may differ.
  2. TitleEnter a title.
  3. SubjectsChoose one or more Subjects.
  4. Shared gradesTick any grades under Share with.
  5. TimelineSelect the Start Month, Start Week and Duration (weeks). Hours is optional.
  6. DescriptionAdd an optional unit description.
  7. DraftTick Mark as Draft in This Class or Mark as Draft in Shared Classes if the unit is not ready.
  8. CreateSelect Add Unit, or Add and Set Up to carry on setting the unit up straight away.
💡 Tip

You can fill in these fields later. To edit an existing unit, open it and select Edit Section on the section you want to change.

After you enter the basic details, the full in-line unit template opens.

📝 Note

ManageBac+ provides default IB PYP templates, and your school can customise them in Settings. The screenshots in this guide use the demo school's Unit of Inquiry: Primary Years template, so your sections may differ.

Planner tabs

Screenshot: At-a-Glance tab of a PYP unit of inquiry with the cover and Transdisciplinary Theme
At-a-Glance is what students and parents see.
  • At-a-Glance: a read-only summary. This is what students and parents see. Upload a cover image to make the unit stand out. You can resize and move the image to fit.
  • Planner: in-line edit mode, so you can browse the whole unit while editing.
  • Lessons & Resources: add lessons, tasks, online lessons and resources, then link resources to each lesson.
  • Assessments: add tasks and assessment coverage.

Plan with colleagues

Screenshot: Members panel listing the unit Authors
The Members panel shows who is planning the unit.
  • Online Presence: a colleague's profile picture shows beside the section they are editing, with a blue circle on the left-hand side while edits are in progress.
  • Real-time Editing: colleagues' edits appear without refreshing. Select Save Changes, or Discard Changes to undo unwanted edits.
  • Collaboration: several teachers can plan at once, as in Google Docs. The section each person is editing shows under Authors and on the section itself. An Edit Lock stops accidental overwriting: teachers can edit different sections at the same time, and the edit button is disabled on a section someone else is editing.
  • Authors: open the Members panel (people icon on the right) to see the unit authors and add more with Add Author.

Navigation tools

Screenshot: Unit Outline open beside the PYP planner
Unit Outline links to each part of the planner.
  • Unit Outline: select Unit Outline at the top of the Planner tab to open a menu showing overall progress, with quick links to each part of the planner.
  • Ongoing Reflections: select the speech bubble icon to open reflections on the right. Tag colleagues to bring them into the conversation.
  • Share & Star: select the three dots icon in any section to share a direct link with colleagues, or star the section to highlight it.
  • Guidance: see your school's own guidance, plus From Principles into Practice and IB Standards & Practices notes.
  • View other Units: select the unit name to jump to other units in the class and cross-reference your planning.

3. Plan your unit of inquiry

Screenshot: PYP planner with the Details panel open
The Details panel holds the unit actions.

Edit the unit in the Planner tab. Select the Details (i) icon on the right to open the Details panel. From here you can add resources, duplicate, export or delete the unit, import tasks, share the unit to the Global ResourceBank, and see when it was last updated. Add unit authors from the Members panel.

📌 Good to know

The Add Author list shows any teacher of a class with the same subject and year level as the unit. Teachers can also add themselves as an author.

Summary

  • Tick year levels to share the unit across them.
  • Set the subject(s) focus to share the unit with classes that have those subjects.
  • Update the start month, week, duration and hours. The unit then appears in the right place on your class unit calendar and the Whole-School Curriculum.
  • Enter a unit description to share with the class.
📝 Note

Ticking draft unit hides the unit from your class schedule and from students and parents. More on drafting and hiding units.

Inquiry

Screenshot: Inquiry section with Transdisciplinary Theme, Central Idea and Lines of Inquiry
Inquiry section with Transdisciplinary Theme, Central Idea and Lines of Inquiry.
  • Choose the Transdisciplinary Theme and select from its descriptors.
  • Enter your Central Idea. Every text box has rich-text formatting: bold and italic, numbered and bulleted lists, embedded media or files, links and tables.
  • Select Add Line of Inquiry to add a line of inquiry. Edit one by changing its text. To delete one, tick its box and select Save Changes.
📝 Note

Units on a Specialist template do not include the Transdisciplinary Theme.

Learning Goals

Screenshot: Learning Goals section with Connections and Learning Goals and Success Criteria
Learning Goals section with Connections and Learning Goals and Success Criteria.
  • In Connections: Transdisciplinary and Past, enter connections to past and future learning, showing how students can build conceptual understanding that transfers across, between and beyond subjects.
  • In Learning Goals and Success Criteria, add your goals and the success criteria you co-construct with students.
  • Choose from your school's Scope & Sequence by Subject, Phase or Year Level. It is organised by Overall Expectations, Conceptual Understandings and Learning Outcomes. Use the search box to find a standard.
💡 Tip

To add your school's own curriculum standards, submit a standards import request.

Specified and Additional Concepts

Screenshot: Specified and Additional Concepts section
Specified and Additional Concepts section.
  • Select your Specified Concepts.
  • For each, set the subject focus and list additional concepts as a lens for conceptual understanding in that subject.
📝 Note

Text boxes accept any written language. You can set the text direction to left-to-right or right-to-left.

Developing IB Learners

Screenshot: Developing IB Learners section with Learner Profile attributes
Developing IB Learners section with Learner Profile attributes.
  • Select your Learner Profile connections and add a description.
  • Hover over the i icon to see each attribute's definition.

You can edit a unit at any time, so you can add a missed attribute or skill later.

ATL Skills

Screenshot: ATL Skills section
ATL Skills section.
  • Select Add ATL Skills, choose an Approaches to Learning category to see its full skills list, and add a description.
  • Use the search box to find a skill.
💡 Tip

For lists, use numbered or bulleted lists with indentation.

Action

Screenshot: Action section with Student-initiated Action
Action section with Student-initiated Action.

Describe opportunities for Student-initiated action. For long entries, select the Full-screen arrows to expand the edit box.

4. Design & Implement, and Reflect

Assessment & Resources

Screenshot: Assessment & Resources section with Ongoing Assessment
Assessment & Resources section with Ongoing Assessment.
  • Add coverage on Ongoing Assessment.
  • Create Tasks to assess student work and progress.
  • Under Making flexible use of resources, identify resources to enhance and extend learning.
  • Outline opportunities for Student Self-Assessment and Peer Feedback.

Use the unit outline on the left to jump up and down the planner.

Learning Experiences

Screenshot: Learning Experiences section
Learning Experiences section.
  • Add notes on Designing engaging Learning Experiences.
  • Describe how the unit will Support Student Agency.

To plan individual lessons, use Add Lesson in the Lessons & Resources tab.

Reflections

Screenshot: Reflections section with Looking Back and Looking Forward
Reflections section with Looking Back and Looking Forward.
  • Add reflections alongside each section of the planner, and in the summary at the end.
  • Enter reflections under Looking Back and Looking Forward, plus Additional Subject Specific Reflections.
📌 Good to know

Reflections stay with the unit from year to year, so you can track changes and keep developing it. Use the term dropdown to see reflections from earlier academic years.

5. Lessons & Resources

Screenshot: Lessons & Resources tab with Lessons Outline and the Add buttons
Lessons & Resources lists lessons first, then resources.

Create assessment Tasks, Website and Video links, upload or link Files, upload Photos or write a journal Note.

📝 Note

There is no limit on the number of resources, but each file must be under 500 MB.

Lessons and resources

  • The tab lists your Lessons first, then Resources. Use Add Resource, Add Lesson, Add Task or Add Online Lesson at the top.
  • Resources must be linked to a lesson to be visible to students and parents.

Resources

Screenshot: Resources section with audience filters, search, Resource Type and Link with Lesson
Resources section with audience filters, search, Resource Type and Link with Lesson.

Select Add Resource to add a note, website, photo or file. Resources stay in the Resources section until you link them to a lesson.

In the Resources section, filter by audience (For Students & Parents or For Teachers only), search by title or keyword, or choose a Resource Type. Select Link with Lesson to attach a resource to a lesson, and use the three dot menu to edit it or see more options.

⚠️ Warning

Resources that are not linked to a lesson are not visible to students and parents.

Import from the Resource Bank

Screenshot: Add Lesson menu with Add Lesson and Import Lesson(s)
Add Lesson menu with Add Lesson and Import Lesson(s).

Select Add Lesson > Import Lesson(s) to import units and lessons, with their resources, from your school (My School), the Pamoja Lesson Suite or the Global ResourceBank. Once imported, you can adapt them for your class.

  1. Choose the sourceSelect the My School, Pamoja Lesson Suite or Global ResourceBank tab.
  2. Choose the unitUnder Select a unit, pick the unit to import from. Use the keyword search to narrow the list.
  3. Choose the contentSelect the lessons and the resources in them to import.
  4. ImportConfirm the import. The lessons and resources are added to your unit.

Lessons

Screenshot: Add Lesson dialog with Title, Teacher Notes, Description & Guidance and date fields
Add Lesson dialog with Title, Teacher Notes, Description & Guidance and date fields.
  1. StartSelect Add Lesson > Add Lesson at the top of the Lessons & Resources tab.
  2. Add detailsEnter a Title. Teacher Notes (teachers only), Description & Guidance (students and parents), and the start and end dates and times are optional.
  3. CreateSelect Add Lesson. It appears in the Lessons list.

Link resources to a lesson to organise the unit by weeks, topics or individual learning support. Select Open Presentation Mode on a lesson to present it in class.

6. Assessments tab

Screenshot: Assessments tab of a unit
Assessments tab of a unit.

To create tasks and add assessment coverage quickly, use the Assessments tab at the top of the unit. An admin can customise task assessment settings in your school's Settings.

7. Export a PDF planner

In the Planner tab, open the Details panel, select Export to PDF, then choose Export or Export with all Reflections.

Screenshot: Export to PDF menu with Export and Export with all Reflections
Export to PDF menu with Export and Export with all Reflections.

To export many units at once, go to Insights > Curriculum (Whole-School Curriculum) and select Bulk Generate PDF Planners.

Screenshot: Bulk Generate PDF Planners in the Whole-School Curriculum
Bulk Generate PDF Planners in the Whole-School Curriculum.
💡 Tip

Download your planners as PDFs once a term or once a year so you keep a local copy.

🔗 See also

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