Looking for ways to teach plant reproduction in your middle school classroom? What about teaching it using the WOW Factor?
Both animals and plants have internal structures that contribute to their survival, defense, as well as reproduction.
The process of sexual reproduction in flowering plants occurs in the flower.
In this post, I share ways to get your students to WONDER and become internally motivated to learn more about reproduction in flowering plants. Second, I share an interactive lesson that will help reduce student cognitive load when learning this content. Finally, I share some WIDEN (extension) activities that will help your students apply what they have learned and extend their knowledge on how plants reproduce.

Plant Reproduction WONDER Activities
WONDER activities and strategies are those that get your students hype about learning more about a particular topic. Here are some things you can try before diving into the plant reproduction content!
But First…Parts of a Flower
Before diving into how flowering plants reproduce, you want your students to be familiar with the parts of a flower and the plant reproduction parts. All of this will definitely make more sense if they understand that!
Don’t have ideas to teach this? Oh, I got you! You can use the WOW Factor when teaching the parts of a flower and their functions as well!
I particularly love for students to dissect flowers. It brings the science to life for sure!
Plant Reproduction Mystery Box
After students are familiar with the parts of a flower, you can really dive into the plant reproduction aspect.
Try out a mystery box!
Collect a box and put items such as these in there: different parts of a plant and full flowers, models or pictures of bees, butterflies, birds, etc., seeds, cotton balls with scents (to represent the smells plants give off to attract pollinators), plant pots, or anything else related to plants.
- Before you begin the lesson, take this box to the front of the classroom and start taking them out one at a time.
- Have students raise their hands and explain what each one is.
- Then, have them raise their hands and see if they can explain the connection and figure out what they may be learning about today!
After, you can ask students to brainstorm other items that could have been placed in the box!

Cool Pollination Process Video Clip
Show your students this video clip! It’s a super neat example of an ecological relationship where a particular bee is the perfect size and shape to fit into an orchid called catasetum. They get the prize!
This video will help your students look at the content in a different light. Not all flowers are the same, but the structures are similar!
Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants Interactive Lesson
I love interactive lessons! They implement the 7 steps to help students retain information. In these lessons, dispersed in the content, are questions that aid students in processing the information.
Pretty much, these lessons are segmented into digestible pieces to make this easier for students to understand!

In this sexual reproduction in flowering plants interactive lesson, students will learn all about flowering plants, why it’s important for them to produce fruit, an overview of plant reproduction system and parts of a flower, how pollen travels, self-pollination vs. cross-pollination, seed dispersal and germination, and more!
The embedded activities include a KWL, drag-and-drop activities, vocabulary matching, and more!
You can find this in the Bright in the Middle Shop. You can also find this on TPT.
Plant Reproduction WIDEN Activities
WIDEN activities are those that you can have students do after “learning” the content or as a project to do throughout. Or you can wait until the end of the unit. It’s whatever works best for your classroom! Here are three ideas!
Pollinator Paradise STEM Activity
This is a fun way to incorporate a STEM activity into this unit.
What is the task? The task is for students to design and create a flower that would attract a specific pollinator. It could be as simple as saying it would attract bees, bats, or butterflies, or it could be as complex as designing it to attract a specific bee, a specific butterfly, etc.
They can first design this on paper, and then construct it using craft materials!
Plant Propagation Activity
If you are looking for something slightly advanced, you can do this activity by the National Agriculture in the Classroom!
In this activity, students will learn about seed planting and stem cuttings which is sexual reproduction and asexual reproduction, respectively.
Read about this activity by clicking the link above!
Plant Some Plants!
So, once plants go through the plant reproduction cycle, they make seeds that can be dispersed and start the process all over again! So, why not take some of those seeds and begin planting. Students can watch the germination process!
Help your students master science content!

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