Making the alternation of generations in land plants accessible to all generations of plant scientists

Supplementary data files for Plant Science Bulletin article "Making the alternation of generations in land plants accessible to all generations of plant scientists". Supplement 1 contains teaching materials appropriate for grades 6-8, including introductory slides 1a, worksheet for guided notes 1b, and traditional quiz 1c. When 1a and 1b are used together, students engage in a number of active learning strategies including diagramming, writing prompts, and defining key terms. 1c is a more traditional quiz that can be adapted to better align with active learning, for instance providing learners the chance to engage with the quiz in groups so they can actively and collaboratively discuss the content. Supplement 1 contains separate versions of 1a and 1c for instructors versus students. The instructor copy of 1a includes “walk through” notes to assist in explaining ideas, misconceptions, and when to refer to the guided notes document (1b). The instructor copy of 1c includes the correct answers highlighted. Supplement 2 describes a classroom activity appropriate for grades 9-12 and introductory college courses that likens itself to the classic board game CLUE, where instead of navigating a cardboard setting and learning about a murder by turning cards, students receive clues from correct answers via an elimination method, where determining the correct answer provides information on a person, weapon, or location not involved in the murder. Questions included in the example game were designed to cover multiple cognitive levels in a collaborative and cooperative way. This game could be used as a group activity for an exam study session or as in-person formative activity. The supplemental materials include diagrams and an overview for teaching the alternation of generations at this level (2a), instructions to the CLUE game with ways to increase or decrease the difficulty (2b), and the CLUE questions (2c) and answer sheets (2d) for both students and instructors. Supplement 3 contains materials created for an introductory undergraduate course in a slightly more traditional way. 3a outlines visual-based instruction and active recall and is scalable to an individual classroom’s needs. It can be duplicated to cover the life cycle of another plant group or developed to be peer-led. Using a blank version of the chart laid out in 3b, instructors can ask learners to conduct a close reading and visual analysis. Instructors can ask learners to discuss topics such as phylogenetic innovations, provide them with various diagrams of the alternation of generations, and encourage them to consult their notes and peers as they fill in the chart and identify key similarities and differences among groups of land plants.