Name: __________________________________
Immune Troops! Move In!
by Shauna Hutton
Your body has a very special system that protects you from
illness and disease. It’s called the immune system and it
knows when there is something inside your body that should
not be there.
All the cells in your body have a way to tell the immune
system, “I belong here. I’m not going to do any harm.” And
so the immune system leaves those cells alone. Think about
the cells in your body wearing name tags that say “self”.
Anything with a “self” name tag is a good guy. But things like
bacteria, viruses, and parasites wear name tags that say
“nonself”. When the immune system sees a “nonself” name
tag, it jumps into action and attacks those foreign invaders.
Any foreign substance in your body that makes the immune
system attack it, is called an antigen. These anitgen
invaders can be pollen from the air, a virus, or certain types
of bacteria. White blood cells, like the one pictured above, attack the harmful bacteria, viruses, and
parasites that enter your body.
There are many different kinds of immune cells helping to
keep you from getting sick. They can be grouped into
phagocytes (pronounced fag-uh-sahyt) and lymphocytes
B cells secrete (produce) substances, called antibodies,
(pronounced lim-fuh-sahyt).
which stick to the antigen. When that happens, it alerts the T
helper cells to come over and either:
Phagocytes are a type of white blood cell, and one of their
jobs is to gobble up and digest antigens. They are always 1. help the B cells destroy the antigen, or
swimming around in your blood stream, always on the look- 2. call the phagocytes or T killer cells to move in for the kill
out for antigens. And when they see one, GULP! T killer cells are really good at finding and killing cells that
have been infected by a virus.
Lymphocytes are also white blood cells and the main types
are B cells, T helper cells, and T killer cells. Many antigens Once a B cell or T cell attacks an antigen, they create cells
can be very sneaky (like viruses) and can hide from to “remember” it. Those “memory cells” hang out in your
phagocytes, so it’s the job of the lymphocytes to find them blood and if they see that same antigen again, they quickly
and get rid of them. recognize it so your immune system can act faster at killing
it.
The “B” in B cells stands for bone marrow, which is where B
cells, and all immune cells originate from. The “T” in T cells
stands for thymus. Young T cells start out in bone marrow,
but they travel to the thymus to continue growing into
mature T cells. The thymus is an immune organ located in
the middle of your chest, near your heart. Its job is to
produce mature T cells.
You have your own little army of cells inside you, always
fighting to keep you healthy. And you can be a part of that
army too! By getting plenty of sleep at night and eating
nutritious foods, you’ll help keep your immune system strong
and ready to fight.
Viruses will kill healthy cells in the body. Go immune troops! Go!
Super Teacher Worksheets - www.superteacherworksheets.com
Name: __________________________________
Immune Troops!
Move In!
by Shauna Hutton
1. What does your immune system do?
a. makes you sick b. keep your brain sharp
c. protect your from illness d. make energy for your body
2. Define the word antigen. Give 3 examples of antigens.
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_________________________________________________________________________________________
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3. According to this article, your immune system works much like...
a. the ocean b. an army
c. an engine in a car d. a computer
4. Where are white blood cells made?
a. in your bones b. in your thymus
c. in your brain d. in your heart
5. B and T cells are both...
a. phagocytes b. bacteria
c. antigens d. lymphocytes
5. What can you do to keep your immune system strong?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Now try this: Draw a comic strip that shows white blood cells attacking a virus in the bloodstream.
Super Teacher Worksheets - www.superteacherworksheets.com
ANSWER KEY
Immune Troops!
Move In!
by Shauna Hutton
1. What does your immune system do? c
a. makes you sick b. keep your brain sharp
c. protect your from illness d. make energy for your body
2. Define the word antigen. Give 3 examples of antigens.
An antigen is any foreign substance in your body that makes the immune system
attack it. Antigens can be pollen, a virus, or bacteria.
3. According to this article, your immune system works much like... b
a. the ocean b. an army
c. an engine in a car d. a computer
4. Where are white blood cells made? a
a. in your bones b. in your thymus
c. in your brain d. in your heart
5. B and T cells are both... d
a. phagocytes b. bacteria
c. antigens d. lymphocytes
5. What can you do to keep your immune system strong?
To keep your immune system strong, you should get plenty of sleep and eat nutritious foods.
Now try this: Draw a comic strip that shows white blood cells attacking a virus in the bloodstream.
Super Teacher Worksheets - www.superteacherworksheets.com
