What I Look For in IB · MYP Resources (and What I Skip)

Monday of Week 6, my MYP Year 3 Sciences group hit the summative on separation techniques and I realised again what “ready” really means. I don’t just want slides; I want the unit spine in view: Statement of Inquiry on slide one, Key Concept (e.g., Change), Related Concepts (e.g., Form, Function), and a clear Global Context. The activities should call out ATL skills—research notes with source evaluation, lab teamwork roles, reflection prompts—so I can point to where those skills were taught, not just graded.

Assessment moments must map cleanly to Criteria A–D. For example, a lab write-up that explicitly builds Criterion C (scientific communication) and D (critical thinking) with task-specific clarifications, while warm-ups feed Criterion A terminology. Same in MYP Year 1 Language and Literature: if the unit is on persuasive technique, then the formative needs the command term “analyse,” not a vague “discuss.” I keep a small shelf of digital packs in ClassPods, and I browse ideas in the community library when I’m short on exemplars that fit those frames.

Last Thursday my MYP Year 4 Individuals and Societies class misread “evaluate” as “explain” on a practice task. That’s exactly why I comb through any resource with a command-term lens. If the verbs don’t match IB usage—outline, analyse, justify—it’s going to send mixed signals and undercut the criterion language I’m trying to normalise.

My quick screen: 1) Does the task name the targeted criteria and bands (0–8) and offer task-specific clarifications in student-friendly language? 2) Is the rigor visible in the success criteria—are there qualitative differences between a 5–6 and 7–8 or is it just “more detail”? 3) Are examples anchored to a Global Context and the Statement of Inquiry so students see the conceptual thread? 4) Are ATL skills taught, not assumed? If two of those are missing, I pass. If they’re present and editable, I’ll pilot the pack with one class. If you want to see what that looks like in practice, you can spin up a sample shell here and stress-test the wording against your descriptors.

On 18 April, my MYP Year 2 Mathematics class needed a clean bridge from tables to graphs for linear relationships. Key Concept: Relationships. Related Concepts: Representation, Patterns. Global Context: Scientific and technical innovation. Targeted criteria: A (Knowing and understanding) and B (Investigating patterns), with C (Communicating) in the write-up. I built the slides and checks in ClassPods so exit tickets fed straight back into my task-specific clarifications.

• Objective (2 min): Describe and represent linear relationships from a table, and generalise the rule.
• Starter (7 min): “Which of these tables could be linear?” Two non-examples included. Turn-and-talk with the command term justify.
• Main (25 min): Mini-lesson on constant rate of change; pairs plot two tables, then conjecture a rule. Prompt uses analyse and generalise. Quick gallery walk for patterns.
• Formative check (8 min): Individual exit ticket: given a table, identify the rate, write y = mx + c, explain in words. Mark with a slim Criterion B/C sheet.
• Plenary (5 min): Students write one “If the rate were doubled…” sentence to push into transfer.

If you want to generate a starter pack with the same structure and tweak to your SOI, I’ve had good results using this generator and then dropping in my task-specific clarifications.

Two Fridays ago, my MYP Year 4 Language and Literature writers were hovering between 5–6 and 7–8 on analysis paragraphs. The fix wasn’t more examples; it was a template they could hold while drafting. Here’s the exact sheet I copy into new tasks and adjust to the text and SOI:

Task-Specific Clarifications (Criterion B: Organising, Criterion C: Producing text)

• Context & Link: Connect analysis to the SOI using the Global Context phrase once.
• Thesis/Focus: States a precise claim about author’s choice and its effect.
• Evidence: Integrates a short, well-chosen quotation; introduces and punctuates it correctly.
• Analysis verbs: Use IB terms: analyse, evaluate, interpret, justify.
• Language: Academic tone; varied sentence openings; correct terminology.
• 7–8 Look‑fors: Interpretation is insightful and consistently supports the claim; organisation guides the reader; style enhances clarity.

Student Checklist (read aloud before submitting)

• I used at least one command term from the list.
• My evidence is short and embedded.
• I explained how the choice creates the effect, not just that it does.
• I referenced the unit’s Statement of Inquiry once.

I keep this as a one-pager and paste it into new tasks; on busy weeks I duplicate it into a fresh pack and tune the wording to the current text.

Back-to-school week, my MYP Year 2 Maths and MYP Year 1 Spanish Acquisition groups needed side-by-side English/Spanish slides so mixed-language pairs could talk about gradients without losing the maths. I also wanted to swap a couple of command terms mid-lesson when I heard students parroting “describe” instead of “analyse.” And I needed homework that picked up the same ATL skill we’d modelled—planning—and didn’t drift into busywork.

That’s where a live, editable pack helps. I’ll build bilingual prompts so the key sentence frames appear in both languages, and I’ll keep the criterion language consistent so students aren’t code‑switching the rubric. Homework mirrors the class task: one short deliberate practice, one reflection line tied to the SOI, and a transfer nudge. I’ve been doing this inside ClassPods because the deck, checks, and rubric sit together and I can adjust wording between classes. If you’re balancing budgets and want to see if it fits your timetable, have a look at pricing and plan limits before you commit a whole team.