Language Arts · Grade 10

Active learning ideas

Verbals: Gerunds, Participles, Infinitives

Active learning helps students grasp verbals because their roles shift depending on context, making abstract concepts concrete. Hands-on sorting, rewriting, and building sentences let students test gerunds, participles, and infinitives in real sentences, building confidence before formal analysis.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.1.A

• 20–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Chalk Talk
• 30 min · Small Groups

Card Sort: Verbal Categories

Prepare cards with 20 phrases exemplifying gerunds, participles, and infinitives. Students in small groups sort them into labeled piles, then create original sentences for each. Regroup to share and verify with class criteria.

Analyze how verbals function as different parts of speech within a sentence.

Facilitation Tip

For Card Sort: Verbal Categories, circulate and ask students to justify why they placed a phrase in a certain category rather than simply confirming correct answers.

What to look for

Present students with five sentences, each containing one verbal phrase. Ask them to underline the verbal phrase and label its function (noun, adjective, adverb). For example: 'The student's goal, studying diligently, was to pass the exam.'

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Chalk Talk
• 25 min · Small Groups

Sentence Rewrite Relay

Provide simple sentences on strips. Teams of four pass a strip, each member rewriting it by inserting one verbal type. Display results for whole-class voting on best revisions.

Differentiate between the various forms and functions of verbals.

Facilitation Tip

During Sentence Rewrite Relay, model one rewrite yourself first to set expectations for precision and clarity.

What to look for

Have students exchange a paragraph they have written. Instruct them to highlight any gerunds, participles, or infinitives they find. Then, they should write one comment on whether each identified verbal is used correctly and effectively.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Chalk Talk
• 35 min · Pairs

Verbal Hunt and Edit

Students highlight verbals in a model paragraph individually, then pair up to edit partner's draft by adding two verbals each. Discuss changes and impacts on readability.

Construct sentences that correctly employ gerunds, participles, and infinitives.

Facilitation Tip

In Verbal Hunt and Edit, provide a checklist of verbal types so students know exactly what to look for before they begin.

What to look for

Provide students with a sentence starter like 'To improve my writing, I will...' or 'Reading extensively involves...'. Ask them to complete the sentence using a specific type of verbal (gerund, participle, or infinitive) and then explain its function in their completed sentence.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Activity 04

• Chalk Talk
• 20 min · Pairs

Build-a-Sentence Chain

Start with a base clause whole class. Pairs add a verbal phrase sequentially via document share, projecting the evolving sentence. Analyze final structure together.

Analyze how verbals function as different parts of speech within a sentence.

What to look for

Present students with five sentences, each containing one verbal phrase. Ask them to underline the verbal phrase and label its function (noun, adjective, adverb). For example: 'The student's goal, studying diligently, was to pass the exam.'

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teaching verbals works best when students manipulate language actively rather than memorize definitions. Pair direct instruction with immediate application in low-stakes activities to reinforce recognition of patterns. Avoid overloading with jargon; focus instead on how verbals transform sentence meaning and flow.

Students will confidently label gerunds, participles, and infinitives in sentences and explain their functions. They will also revise sentences to include specific verbals, showing mastery of syntactic flexibility and purpose.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Card Sort: Verbal Categories, watch for students who assume all -ing words are verbs. Ask them to test each phrase in a subject slot to see if it functions as a noun (gerund) or describes a noun (participle).

  During Card Sort: Verbal Categories, have students place each -ing phrase into two possible slots in a sentence frame to verify whether it names an activity or describes one.

• During Card Sort: Verbal Categories, watch for students who say participles only describe past actions. Point to present participles like 'running water' and ask them to describe ongoing action versus completed state.

  During Card Sort: Verbal Categories, group participants should compare present participles ('singing bird') with past participles ('broken vase') to clarify ongoing versus completed action.

• During Build-a-Sentence Chain, listen for students who claim infinitives never start sentences. Ask them to test 'To win requires practice' and revise sentences accordingly to see subject roles.

  During Build-a-Sentence Chain, challenge students to start two sentences with infinitives and explain how these function as subjects in their chains.

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Methods used in this brief

• Chalk Talk