English Language Arts · 8th Grade

Active learning ideas

Grammar: Verbals (Gerunds, Participles, Infinitives)

Active learning works for verbals because students need repeated, hands-on practice to distinguish forms that look alike but function differently. When students manipulate sentences and justify their choices aloud, they move from memorizing labels to understanding how verbals shape meaning and sentence structure.

• Common Core State Standards
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.1.a

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

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 35 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Verbal Function Sort

Small groups receive 18 sentence strips, six gerunds, six participles, and six infinitives, and sort them into three labeled categories. For each sentence, they must identify not just the verbal but its grammatical function: 'acting as a noun,' 'modifying a noun,' 'expressing purpose.' Groups that disagree must resolve their disagreement by referring to a specific grammatical principle.

Differentiate between a gerund and a participle in a given sentence.

Facilitation Tip

During the Verbal Function Sort, circulate and ask each group: 'How does substituting a noun like 'running' with 'it' change the sentence's meaning?' to push metacognition.

What to look for

Provide students with a worksheet containing 10 sentences. For each sentence, ask them to identify any verbals, label them as gerund, participle, or infinitive, and state their function (noun, adjective, adverb).

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Stations Rotation
• 20 min · Pairs

Practice Game: Verbal Speed Challenge

In pairs, students alternate writing sentences that use a specific verbal type correctly: one partner writes a gerund sentence, the other a participle sentence, back and forth as quickly as possible for five minutes. They then review their list together, checking each sentence and correcting any misidentified verbals. The pair with the most correctly categorized sentences shares their best examples.

Construct sentences that effectively use infinitives to express purpose or intention.

Facilitation Tip

For the Verbal Speed Challenge, set a timer for 60 seconds and walk the room so students hear peers justify answers aloud rather than working silently.

What to look for

Present two sentences where a word like 'running' or 'to read' is used differently. Ask students: 'How does the function of 'running' change between these two sentences? What makes it a gerund in one and a participle in the other?'

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 25 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Dangling Participle Detection

Present pairs with five sentences containing dangling or misplaced participles ('Running to catch the bus, my backpack fell open'). Pairs identify what is wrong with each sentence, explain what the participle appears to modify versus what it should modify, and rewrite the sentence correctly. Discussion surfaces the principle that participial phrases must be placed next to the noun they modify.

Explain how the misuse of a verbal can lead to grammatical errors or unclear meaning.

Facilitation Tip

In Dangling Participle Detection, ask pairs to physically move the participle phrase closer to the noun it describes before sharing with the class.

What to look for

Students write three sentences: one using a gerund, one a participle, and one an infinitive. They then exchange papers with a partner. Each partner checks if the verbals are correctly identified and used, providing one specific suggestion for improvement.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with verbals in isolation so students notice endings (-ing, -ed, to + verb) before tackling function. Avoid rushing to rules; instead, use substitution drills to reveal roles. Research shows students solidify understanding when they teach the concept to peers, so plan partner explanations after each activity to reinforce learning.

By the end of these activities, students will confidently classify verbals and explain their functions in context. Success looks like students pointing to a word in a sentence and naming its type and role without hesitation, supported by clear evidence from the sentence itself.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Collaborative Investigation: Verbal Function Sort, watch for students labeling every '-ing' word as a gerund.

  Prompt groups to substitute the '-ing' word with a concrete noun like 'it' or 'the plan.' If the sentence still makes sense ('Exercise is good for you' becomes 'It is good for you'), students should classify it as a gerund; if not, they should reconsider.

• During the Practice Game: Verbal Speed Challenge, watch for students assuming all infinitives begin with 'to.'

  Include sentences with implied infinitives ('She made me laugh' where 'to' is omitted) and ask students to explain how the infinitive functions in the sentence, even without 'to'.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Stations Rotation
• Think-Pair-Share