Innate and adaptive immunity
You cut your finger on a rusty gate. Within minutes it is red, warm, and swollen, but you do not feel truly sick for two more days. Why is one part of your defense instant and the other part slow?
Students will distinguish from using teacher notes and the PLTW online task.
- • and adaptive responses are correctly distinguished.
- • PLTW online task is submitted complete.
- Your skin, your stomach acid, and your mucus all block germs before they ever get inside. What do these three have in common?
- Why do you usually get chickenpox only once, but a cold over and over? Take a guess.
- 1Take notes on barriers and adaptive responses.
- 2Define , , and lymphocyte.
- 3Complete the PLTW online immune-response activity.
- 4Map the lymphatic system on a body diagram.
- 5Write one question about immune memory.
🛠 Get unstuck · pick your level
🔑 Today's words · 5
Tap a word in the lesson for a plain meaning and one example. Recycled into next week's Do-Now.
Do the work · 80-minute blockfirst 5 min = hook▸
💡 Big idea: is slow because it must first identify one specific , but that specificity is exactly what lets it build memory, so the second exposure is fast.
- 0-10Warm-up: what happens in the first 4 hours after a enters the body?
- 10-28Guided notes: barriers, phagocytosis, inflammation vs. adaptive lymphocyte response
- 28-45PLTW online immune-response activity
- 45-58Map lymphatic system on body diagram; label key nodes and vessels
- 58-70Write one question about immune memory; pair-answer
- 70-80Submit diagram and PLTW completion confirmation
- • Your body fights infections on two timescales: an immediate general alarm and a slower targeted strike.
- • Today you will map both layers and understand how they connect to protection.
- • , , and lymphocyte are core vocabulary for the Microbiology WebXam domain.
- • Leave with a lymphatic system diagram and a clear distinction between and adaptive.
- • immunity includes physical barriers (skin, mucus) and non-specific cellular responses (phagocytosis, inflammation).
- • involves lymphocytes (B and T cells) that recognize specific antigens and create memory for faster future responses.
- • Antibodies are Y-shaped proteins produced by B cells that bind specific antigens to neutralize or tag pathogens.
Unit 3.2 Body Guards: Skin/accessory organs, lymphatic and immune systems, pathogens, immune cells, antigen response. · and
Day 2 of this lesson. Open this exact section in myPLTW (find it in Clever, Microsoft sign-in), then do the work below.
Do this: Complete the -and- task in Lesson 3.2 Body Guards on myPLTW; work through all screens on phagocytes, B cells, T cells, and antibodies.
Mark the immunity task complete in myPLTW after submitting your immunity-comparison chart.
Monday's task is done; today the immunity task should show complete.
Screenshot or note of completion status for your tracker.
All PLTW activities are completed inside the PLTW course environment: this page only gives direction. Submit producibles on Schoology.
Check things off as you work, then submit. This tells Mr. Mendoza how you're doing so he can help the class. It does not replace turning in your producible on Schoology.
Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.
Unit 3.2 Body Guards: Skin/accessory organs, lymphatic and immune systems, pathogens, immune cells, antigen response. · Innate and adaptive immunity
Complete the -and- task in Lesson 3.2 Body Guards on myPLTW; work through all screens on phagocytes, B cells, T cells, and antibodies.
Monday's task is done; today the immunity task should show complete.
This is how Mr. Mendoza sees the class keeping pace with PLTW. Be honest, it only helps if it is accurate.
🎯 Students will distinguish from using teacher notes and the PLTW online task.
- Take notes on barriers and adaptive responses.
- Define , , and lymphocyte.
- Complete the PLTW online immune-response activity.
- Map the lymphatic system on a body diagram.
- Write one question about immune memory.
Vocabulary task: Lymphatic system body diagram with key nodes and vessels labeled, plus written definitions of , , and lymphocyte in your own words.
Turn it in on Schoology using the checklist just below. Upload by 11:29 PM for full credit.
| Task | Who |
|---|---|
| Take notes on barriers and adaptive responses. | _______ |
| Define , , and lymphocyte. | _______ |
| Complete the PLTW online immune-response activity. | _______ |
| Map the lymphatic system on a body diagram. | _______ |
| Write one question about immune memory. | _______ |
Working solo? Put your own name in "Who" for every row.
- and adaptive responses are correctly distinguished.
- PLTW online task is submitted complete.
- 1Do thisStudents will distinguish innate from adaptive immunity using teacher notes and the PLTW online task.
- 2Use this resource
- 3Submit thisVocabulary task: Lymphatic system body diagram with key nodes and vessels labeled, plus written definitions of antigen, antibody, and lymphocyte in your own words.
- 4Submit it here
- 1Open Clever.
- 2Microsoft (district) sign-in.
- 3Schoology and myPLTW are both in Clever.
Look for this assignment in Schoology: Human Anatomy & Physiology (Human Body Systems) › Unit 3.2 Body Guards: Skin/accessory organs, lymphatic and immune systems, pathogens, immune cells, antigen response. › Vocabulary taskOpen Schoology
Learn it · deck, reading, and vocabulary▸
Tier 1 is the time-boxed teacher set for the block; Tier 2 adds scaffolded vocabulary, examples, and a reading routine; Tier 3 extends into careers and current biomedical applications.
Generated from this lesson's canonical data with a red-team citation check.
Students often think Students often think the immune system is one single thing that attacks all germs the same way every time.. The trap: That is the trap: there are two distinct layers. immunity (barriers, phagocytes, inflammation) hits every invader the same and keeps no memory. (B and T cells) builds a custom response to one specific and remembers it. Treating them as one system makes immune memory impossible to explain.
My definitions (in my own words):
- Antigen: a molecule, often on the surface of a pathogen, that the immune system recognizes as foreign and responds to.
- Antibody: a Y-shaped protein made by B cells that binds to a specific antigen to neutralize or tag the pathogen.
- Lymphocyte: a white blood cell (B cell or T cell) that drives the adaptive, antigen-specific immune response.
Innate vs adaptive (one-line contrast): innate immunity is fast and non-specific (skin, mucus, phagocytes, inflammation); adaptive immunity is slower, highly specific, and builds memory for faster future responses.
My question about immune memory: How long do memory B cells survive after a single infection?
| Feature | Innate immunity | Adaptive immunity |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Fast (minutes to hours) | Slow on first exposure (days) |
| Specificity | Non-specific | Highly specific to antigen |
| Examples | Skin, mucus, phagocytes | B cells, T cells, antibodies |
| Memory | No lasting memory | Builds long-term memory |
Also due today: Submit the completed PLTW online immune-response task with your diagram and definitions.
- CER:
- Claim, Evidence, Reasoning: make a claim, back it with evidence, explain your reasoning.
- SOP:
- Standard Operating Procedure, the exact steps to follow (especially in a lab).
- Tracker:
- Your PLTW progress log where you record completed evidence.
- myPLTW:
- The PLTW course site where you do the online activities. Find it in Clever with your Microsoft sign-in, right next to Schoology.
Tap the speaker to hear a term. Add two of these to your notebook glossary with a definition and an example in your own words.
Pick just 2 or 3 words from today and make them yours: write what each one means in your own words, then give one example from what you actually did in Innate and adaptive immunity. Try your own words first; the glossary is there if you get stuck. This is voluntary and counts as extra credit, so keep it short.
Saved on this device. Show Mr. Mendoza or add these to your notebook glossary to claim the extra credit.
Hand-picked readings, videos, and interactives for this lesson, all free and from authoritative open organizations (NIH, CDC, OpenStax, Khan Academy, PhET, HHMI, and more).
A fillable, Cornell-style notebook for Unit 3: Adventure Awaits. Type your notes, cues, and summaries right in the PDF, or print it and write by hand. Each lesson page has a cue column, a notes column, and a summary box, plus dated lab-record pages you can turn in.
HBS Unit 3 notebook: Adventure Awaits Fillable PDFCornell notes + lab recordsOpenVetted readings and references for this unit. Use them to prepare, to catch up if you were absent, or to go deeper on today's target.
Check yourself · commit, then reveal▸
A pathogen enters your body for the very first time. List, in order, which defense meets it first and which meets it second, and say which one leaves you with memory.
Write an answer and pick a confidence to unlock the key.
Fast retrieval with instant answers, not the commit-then-reveal check above. Try each from memory first: write what you remember about the earlier units, then check yourself here.
Go further and get help▸
What today's skills lead to. These are real health-science careers this course builds toward. Tap one to see, on the US Department of Labor's O*NET site, what the job actually involves, what it pays, and how fast it is growing.
Today is individual PLTW work, so do exactly what we did in class, from home: complete the same PLTW target above, then submit your Vocabulary task.
Open Schoology (CMSD) and keep goingHow to get there: open Clever and sign in with your Microsoft (district) account. You will find both Schoology and myPLTW right there in Clever. Turn in your work on Schoology; do the online activities in myPLTW.
Class still runs. Complete the online activity above (it's self-guided). Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:
MedlinePlus: Immune System and DisordersYou've passed Unit 2, so the optional extra-credit track is open. Complete reserved-unit work from home (virtual labs included) for extra credit, submitted on Schoology.
Open the extra-credit track- CompleteEvery required part of the artifact is present, nothing left blank.
- AccurateThe science and the data are correct and match the evidence.
- Scientific reasoningYou explain your claim with evidence and reasoning (CER), not just an answer.
- Professional communicationClear, organized, labeled, and written the way a clinician or scientist would.
- SubmittedTurned in the right way (Schoology for routine work) and confirmed.