MYP framework guide
The six IB MYP global contexts, explained
Global contexts give MYP inquiry a reason to matter. Each one frames a big human question, and a unit uses a single context to connect its key concept and statement of inquiry to the world students actually live in. Below is the question each context asks, its focus in the current MYP framework, and one worked example per subject for Grades 6–10.
Context 1
Identities and relationships
Who am I? Who are we? — identity, beliefs, wellbeing, human relationships
- Science (NGSS)
- Investigate how sleep, hydration and nutrition change reaction time, then relate the data to body systems and healthy routines.
- Mathematics (AERO)
- Use surveys of family screen time to compare mean, median and spread, and discuss what each measure hides about a person.
- English (Common Core / AERO ELA)
- Read a coming-of-age narrative and analyse how a writer's choices build a narrator's sense of self and belonging.
Context 2
Orientation in space and time
What is the meaning of where and when? — journeys, turning points, civilizations, scale
- Science (NGSS)
- Model the scale of the solar system, or trace how rock layers and fossils record change over enormous time spans.
- Mathematics (AERO)
- Work with scale, ratio and coordinates to map a route across a city, then convert distances between units.
- English (Common Core / AERO ELA)
- Compare two accounts of the same historical event and evaluate how time and place shape each writer's perspective.
Context 3
Personal and cultural expression
What is the nature of creativity? — the ways we express ideas, values and beauty
- Science (NGSS)
- Explore how sound waves, frequency and resonance shape traditional instruments and the acoustics of a performance space.
- Mathematics (AERO)
- Analyse the geometry, symmetry and tessellation in Islamic patterns and architectural screens.
- English (Common Core / AERO ELA)
- Study how poets use imagery, rhythm and figurative language to express identity, then craft an original poem.
Context 4
Scientific and technical innovation
How do we understand the worlds in which we live? — systems, models, ethics of innovation
- Science (NGSS)
- Design and test a solar water heater or desalination model, evaluating efficiency and the ethics of the technology.
- Mathematics (AERO)
- Use functions and rates of change to model energy use, then justify a recommendation with the graph.
- English (Common Core / AERO ELA)
- Read informational texts about artificial intelligence and write a balanced argument for a school newsletter.
Context 5
Globalization and sustainability
How is everything connected? — interconnection of human-made systems and the environment
- Science (NGSS)
- Trace the carbon or water cycle through a food supply chain and evaluate the impact of local choices.
- Mathematics (AERO)
- Compare per-capita statistics between countries and interpret how sampling and units affect the conclusion.
- English (Common Core / AERO ELA)
- Synthesise several sources on plastic waste and present a persuasive speech to a community audience.
Context 6
Fairness and development
What are the consequences of our common humanity? — rights, equity, access to opportunity
- Science (NGSS)
- Examine unequal access to clean water or medical technology and propose evidence-based solutions.
- Mathematics (AERO)
- Interpret income, literacy or access data with percentages and graphs, and discuss misleading displays.
- English (Common Core / AERO ELA)
- Analyse how a text represents power and voice, then write a letter advocating for a fairer outcome.
How to choose a context for a unit
- Start from the key concept and the subject content you must teach.
- Ask which human question the content genuinely answers — pick that context, not the one that sounds impressive.
- Write the statement of inquiry so the key concept, a related concept and the context all appear.
- Check the assessment: students should need the context to answer the summative task well.
- Choose one context per unit, and vary contexts across the year so all six are met.