Printable ScholarMitosis Diagram
Free printable mitosis diagram — a labeled cell cycle showing all six stages of mitosis: interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase, and cytokinesis. Download a high-resolution PDF or PNG for Letter paper.
Part of the Mitosis 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 Mitosis
Pick the ideas that suit your class, then follow the plan or use the sheets in any order.
- Act it out. Pairs of students link arms as the two copies of a chromosome. They line up across the middle of the room for metaphase, then walk to opposite ends for anaphase.
- Model the chromosomes. Students twist pairs of pipe cleaners or roll clay ropes into X shapes, then move them through each stage inside a paper plate cell.
- Sort the stages. Students draw the six stages on six cards, mix them up and trade with a partner, who puts them back in order.
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) Mitosis Guided Notes (in the pack) Mitosis Diagram Blank Mitosis Diagram |
| Day 2 | Students read the six pictures on “Read the Diagram”: they show which way the chromosomes move, count them and pick out the stages. | Read the Diagram (in the pack) |
| Day 3 | Read “How One Cell Becomes Two” and answer the questions. | How One Cell Becomes Two (in the pack) |
| Day 4 | Students read what could be seen in eight dividing cells and name each stage on “Which Stage Is It?” | Which Stage Is It? (in the pack) |
| Day 5 | Review with the crossword, then give the quiz. | Mitosis Crossword (in the pack) Mitosis Quiz (in the pack) |
The sheets marked “in the pack” are in the Mitosis teaching pack below.
NGSS standards
- Supports MS-LS1-2: Develop and use a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole and ways the parts of cells contribute to the function.
Mitosis teaching pack
Teaching mitosis and cell division? Here is a ready-to-teach lesson. 25 slides and 8 printables that cover the whole topic, 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 (this pack)
- DNA
- Heredity and Punnett Squares
- Carbon Cycle and Greenhouse Effect
- The Nitrogen Cycle
- Excretory System
- Endocrine System
- Immune System
- 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 Mitosis 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. TeachMitosis 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 six pictures of a dividing cell: show which way the chromosome halves move, count chromosomes, and work out which picture shows each step.In the $7 pack
In the pack
4. ReadHow One Cell Becomes TwoA one-page text on how one cell divides into two, with eight questions.In the $7 pack
In the pack
5. ConnectWhich Stage Is It?Read what you could see in eight dividing cells and write the stage each one is in.In the $7 pack
In the pack
6. ReviewMitosis CrosswordFourteen cell division words with clues and a word bank.In the $7 pack
In the pack
7. CheckMitosis QuizName four stages, six multiple choice and two written answers. Scored out of 12.In the $7 pack
Mitosis worksheets, crossword and quiz
The Mitosis 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 One Cell Becomes Two” (a reading passage), “Which Stage Is It?” (a which-stage table), 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 stages of mitosis
Mitosis is the process by which one cell divides into two identical daughter cells — the way all living things grow, repair tissue, and replace worn-out cells. Here is what happens at each labeled part of the diagram:
| Stage | What it does | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Interphase | The cell grows and copies its DNA in preparation for division. | Interphase is not a stage of mitosis itself — it is the long period of normal cell activity that comes before division begins. During this time the cell doubles in size, replicates all of its DNA so each daughter cell will get a complete copy, and produces the proteins and organelles it will need. A typical human cell spends about 90 percent of its life in interphase; the actual division that follows takes only one to two hours. |
| Prophase | The chromosomes condense and become visible; the nuclear envelope breaks down. | At the start of prophase the cell's loosely wound DNA (chromatin) coils tightly into the compact X-shaped chromosomes visible under a microscope. At the same time the nuclear envelope — the membrane surrounding the nucleus — dissolves, and spindle fibres begin to form from the cell's centrioles. Prophase is the cell's equivalent of assembling and loading the machinery that will physically pull the chromosomes apart. |
| Metaphase | The chromosomes line up along the middle of the cell. | Spindle fibres from opposite ends of the cell attach to the centre of each chromosome and tug them into a precise line across the cell's equator. This alignment is not random — it is the cell's quality-control step, ensuring that every chromosome has a spindle fibre from each side so that when they separate, one copy goes to each new cell. If a chromosome is not correctly attached, the cell pauses and will not continue. |
| Anaphase | The chromosome pairs are pulled apart to opposite ends of the cell. | The spindle fibres shorten rapidly, physically dragging the duplicated chromosomes toward opposite poles of the cell. What was one pair of identical chromosomes becomes two separate single chromosomes moving in opposite directions. Anaphase is the fastest stage of mitosis — the chromosomes can travel the full length of the cell in just a few minutes — and it is the most visually dramatic, creating the familiar "star" shape seen in textbook photographs. |
| Telophase | A new nuclear envelope forms around each set of chromosomes. | As the chromosomes arrive at their respective poles, the spindle fibres disappear and a new nuclear envelope assembles around each group. The chromosomes begin to uncoil back into loose chromatin. By the end of telophase the cell has two separate nuclei — one at each end — each containing a complete and identical set of genetic information. The cell itself has not yet divided; that happens next. |
| Cytokinesis | The cell splits into two identical daughter cells. | Cytokinesis begins while telophase is still finishing and completes cell division by physically splitting the cytoplasm in two. In animal cells a ring of protein filaments pinches the cell inward like a drawstring bag until it separates into two cells. In plant cells a new cell wall is built down the middle of the cell instead, since the rigid outer wall prevents pinching. The result in both cases is two genetically identical daughter cells, each ready to begin interphase again. |
How to print
Choose Download PDF for a ready-to-print file that fits US Letter paper (8.5 × 11") in landscape, or Download PNG for the high-resolution image.
Frequently asked questions
What is mitosis?
Mitosis is the process by which a cell divides its nucleus to produce two daughter cells with identical DNA. It is used for growth, tissue repair, and asexual reproduction.
What is the difference between mitosis and meiosis?
Mitosis produces two identical diploid cells (same number of chromosomes as the parent) and is used for growth and repair. Meiosis produces four genetically unique haploid cells (half the chromosomes) and is used to make sex cells (eggs and sperm).
What paper size should I print this on?
The diagram is sized for standard US Letter paper (8.5 × 11") in landscape orientation. Use "Download PDF" for a print-ready file that fits the page automatically.
Are there Mitosis worksheets to go with the diagram?
Yes. The Mitosis 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 One Cell Becomes Two” (a reading passage), “Which Stage Is It?” (a which-stage table), 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).