Printable ScholarImmune System Diagram
Free printable immune system diagram — a labeled illustration of the lymphatic organs, lymph nodes, bone marrow, and key immune cells. Download a high-resolution PDF or PNG for Letter paper.
Part of the Immune System teaching pack for grades 6 to 8 (introductory level): 25 lesson slides and 8 printables with answer keys. The diagram and the blank one to label are free.
Teaching ideas for Immune System
Pick the ideas that suit your class, then follow the plan or use the sheets in any order.
- Lock and key. Cut pairs of paper shapes that fit together like puzzle pieces. Give half the class germs and half antibodies. Each antibody finds the one germ it fits.
- Act out a defense. Some students link arms as the skin. A few germs try to slip past. White blood cells wait inside and tag any germ that gets through.
A plan for the week
| Day 1 | Open with one of the ideas above. Teach the lesson with the slides while students fill in the guided notes. Then students label the blank diagram. | Lesson slides (PowerPoint) (in the pack) Immune System Guided Notes (in the pack) Immune System Diagram Blank Immune System |
| Day 2 | Students work out where germs are caught and where defenders are made on “Read the Diagram”, and trace lymph along its vessels. | Read the Diagram (in the pack) |
| Day 3 | Read “How Your Body Fights Germs” and answer the questions. | How Your Body Fights Germs (in the pack) |
| Day 4 | Students number the six steps of the body’s response to a germ. | Fighting a Germ, Step by Step (in the pack) |
| Day 5 | Review with the crossword, then give the quiz. | Immune System Crossword (in the pack) Immune System Quiz (in the pack) |
The sheets marked “in the pack” are in the Immune System teaching pack below.
NGSS standards
- Supports MS-LS1-3: Use argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting subsystems composed of groups of cells.
Immune System teaching pack
Teaching the immune system? Here is a ready-to-teach lesson. 25 slides and 8 printables that cover its parts and how the body fights germs, from the guided notes to the quiz. Present the slides while students fill in the guided notes, then use the worksheets, crossword and quiz, with every answer key.
Free on this page: the diagram and the blank one to label, marked Download below. The whole pack is $7: 18 pages in one print-ready file, the 25 lesson slides, the practice sheets, the crossword, the quiz and every answer key.
OnlineThe pack also comes as an online lesson for Google Classroom: every part on screen for students, plus a self-grading Google Forms quiz.
One-time purchase. Instant download. Secure checkout by Stripe. Want to see a whole pack first? The Cells pack is free.See all 18 packs in the bundle
- Cells
- Mitosis
- DNA
- Heredity and Punnett Squares
- Carbon Cycle and Greenhouse Effect
- The Nitrogen Cycle
- Excretory System
- Endocrine System
- Immune System (this pack)
- Layers of the Skin
- Plate Tectonics and Earthquakes
- Life Cycle of a Star
- Parts of an Atom
- The Periodic Table
- Physical and Chemical Changes
- Balancing Chemical Equations
- Waves and the Electromagnetic Spectrum
- Acids, Bases and the pH Scale
Teach Immune System with 25 ready-made slides
Open the PowerPoint and teach: an opening question, the parts one at a time on the diagram, quick checks and an exit question. Students fill in the guided notes sheet as you go.
Every slide comes with teacher notes: what to say, what to ask, and sample answers.
The slides (PowerPoint and a PDF copy) and the guided notes sheet come with the pack.
What is in the pack, in teaching order
In the pack
1. TeachLesson Slides25 slides to present, with your notes for each one.In the $7 pack
In the pack
1. TeachImmune System Guided NotesStudents fill in the blanks as you present. With answer key.In the $7 pack
Free
Free
In the pack
3. ReasonRead the DiagramRead the immune system picture: trace lymph along its vessels and work out where germs are caught and where defenders are made.In the $7 pack
In the pack
4. ReadHow Your Body Fights GermsA one-page text on how the body keeps germs out and fights the ones that get in, with eight questions.In the $7 pack
In the pack
5. OrderFighting a Germ, Step by StepNumber six steps of the body’s response to a germ, then answer three questions.In the $7 pack
In the pack
6. ReviewImmune System CrosswordFifteen immune system words with clues and a word bank.In the $7 pack
In the pack
7. CheckImmune System QuizLabel five parts, six multiple choice and two written answers. Scored out of 13.In the $7 pack
Immune System worksheets, crossword and quiz
The Immune System teaching pack is 25 lesson slides (PowerPoint and PDF) and 8 printables with answer keys for grades 6 to 8 (introductory level), in the order you would teach them: the guided notes for the lesson slides, the labeled diagram and the blank one to label, then “Read the Diagram” (a worksheet), “How Your Body Fights Germs” (a reading passage), “Fighting a Germ, Step by Step” (a put-in-order worksheet), a vocabulary crossword and a quiz.
The sheets are in a suggested teaching order: teach the lesson, have students label the blank diagram, then work through the practice sheets and finish with the quiz. Use them all over a week or pick the ones you need. The answer keys are together at the back.
The diagram and the blank one to label are free to download on this page. The other sheets come with the pack ($7), which is also in the Middle School Science bundle (grades 5 to 10).
The parts of the immune system
The immune system is the body's defence network, identifying and destroying bacteria, viruses, and other threats before they can make you seriously ill. Here is what happens at each labeled part of the diagram:
| Part | What it does | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Bone Marrow | The soft tissue inside bones where all blood cells — including immune cells — are produced. | Every immune cell in your body was born in the bone marrow, which produces around 500 billion new blood cells every day to replace those that wear out or are used up fighting infection. Stem cells in the marrow can become any type of blood cell — red cells for oxygen transport, platelets for clotting, or the various white blood cells that make up the immune system. This is why bone marrow transplants can rebuild an immune system that has been destroyed by disease or cancer treatment. |
| Thymus | Matures a type of immune cell called T-lymphocytes (T-cells), which directly attack infected cells. | T-cells are made in the bone marrow but must graduate from the thymus before they are fit for duty. During their time in the thymus, immature T-cells are tested: those that react to the body's own cells are eliminated (preventing autoimmune attacks), while those that can recognise foreign threats are released into the bloodstream. The thymus does most of this work in childhood; by adulthood it has shrunken but the trained T-cells it released continue circulating for decades. |
| Spleen | Filters the blood, removes old red blood cells, and stores a reserve of immune cells. | The spleen acts as a blood filter and an immune staging ground at the same time. Blood passes through its tissue continuously, where old or damaged red blood cells are broken down and recycled, and where immune cells stand ready to ambush pathogens that make it into the bloodstream. After a severe infection the spleen can enlarge noticeably as it ramps up its immune response — one reason doctors feel for an enlarged spleen during a physical examination after symptoms like fever and fatigue. |
| Lymph Nodes | Small glands that filter lymph fluid and trap pathogens for immune cells to destroy. | Hundreds of lymph nodes are scattered throughout the body — behind the knees, in the groin, under the arms, along the neck — connected by the lymphatic vessels. When an infection is nearby, the local lymph nodes swell as they fill with immune cells and trapped pathogens. Swollen lymph nodes ("swollen glands") under the jaw during a throat infection are the body's immune response working at full speed exactly where the threat is. |
| Lymphatic Vessels | A network of tubes that collects fluid from body tissues and drains it through lymph nodes before returning it to the bloodstream. | The lymphatic system is a one-way drainage network running parallel to the blood vessels. It collects the fluid that leaks out of blood capillaries into surrounding tissues and returns it to the blood, preventing tissue swelling. Along the way, this fluid (called lymph) passes through lymph nodes where it is screened for pathogens. Unlike the circulatory system, the lymphatic system has no pump — it moves lymph through the squeezing action of surrounding muscles during normal movement. |
| Tonsils | Clusters of immune tissue at the back of the throat that trap pathogens entering through the mouth and nose. | The tonsils are the immune system's first checkpoint for everything you breathe and swallow. They are packed with white blood cells that sample passing microbes and mount an immune response before an infection can travel deeper into the body. This is why they often become inflamed and sore during throat infections — they are literally fighting the pathogen at the door. Removing tonsils (tonsillectomy) does not severely impair immunity because the rest of the lymphatic system compensates. |
| White Blood Cells | The immune system's active fighters — they identify, attack, and remember pathogens. | There are many types of white blood cells, each with a different role: neutrophils rush to infections and engulf bacteria; B-cells produce antibodies; T-cells directly kill infected cells or coordinate the overall response; memory cells linger for years so a second encounter with the same pathogen is defeated before you even feel ill. A single drop of blood contains thousands of white blood cells, all on constant patrol. |
| Antibodies | Y-shaped proteins made by B-cells that bind to specific pathogens and mark them for destruction. | Each antibody is precisely shaped to lock onto one specific target — like a key cut for one lock. Once attached to a pathogen, the antibody neutralises it directly or flags it for other immune cells to come and destroy. Vaccines work by exposing the immune system to a harmless piece of a pathogen so that B-cells produce antibodies and memory cells — meaning if the real pathogen ever arrives, the immune response is already primed and waiting. |
How to print
Choose Download PDF for a ready-to-print file that fits US Letter paper (8.5 × 11") in portrait, or Download PNG for the high-resolution image.
Frequently asked questions
What does the immune system do?
It defends the body against bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other pathogens — identifying threats, attacking them, and remembering them so future infections are fought off faster.
What is the difference between the immune system and the lymphatic system?
The lymphatic system is a network of vessels and organs (nodes, spleen, thymus) that drains fluid and filters pathogens. The immune system refers to all the cells and processes that fight infection — much of which happens within the lymphatic system.
What paper size should I print this on?
The diagram is sized for standard US Letter paper (8.5 × 11") in portrait orientation. Use "Download PDF" for a print-ready file that fits the page automatically.
Are there Immune System worksheets to go with the diagram?
Yes. The Immune System teaching pack, for grades 6 to 8 (introductory level), has 25 lesson slides and 8 printables with answer keys: the guided notes for the lesson slides, the labeled diagram and the blank one to label, then “Read the Diagram” (a worksheet), “How Your Body Fights Germs” (a reading passage), “Fighting a Germ, Step by Step” (a put-in-order worksheet), a vocabulary crossword and a quiz. The diagram and the blank one to label are free to download on this page. The other sheets come with the pack ($7), which is also in the Middle School Science bundle (grades 5 to 10).