Gerund Lesson

Teaching gerunds does not have to be a drag! It can be meaningful, engaging, and effective. By using mentor sentences, you can teach your students not only how to recognize a gerund and a gerund phrase, but also how to craft a sentence using one.

Using mentor sentences to teach grammar is the single most effective way I have found to help high school students grasp grammar concepts and become better writers themselves. This scaffolded approach to teaching gerunds and gerund phrases walks the student through recognizing and using gerunds in a simple, engaging format that you can use in person or virtually.

The mentor sentence is a carefully selected sentence from a published work that highlights a specific grammar concept. Using the works of esteemed authors, I have chosen several sentences that show the way a gerund phrase works in a sentence. Your students will have a chance to discuss these examples and consider the impact the gerund has on the sentence. 

Then, you’ll give your students another mentor sentence that they will use as a model to create their own sentences in the same style. Students get to practice crafting their own sentences, but they are given appropriate structure. 

Last, you’ll give your students a picture prompt and they will create their own sentence using a gerund phrase.

Each piece of this lesson is purposeful and scaffolded in a way that will make sense to your students.

I've also thrown in some ways to make gerunds a little more fun by coming up with ridiculous and silly gerunds that they can try in their sentences.  

Are you a little shaky on grammar yourself? No worries! This lesson has everything you need to be an expert on the concept of gerunds and gerund phrases.

What you get in this lesson:

• 14 slides that guide your students through the concepts of the gerund and gerund phrase
• Well-crafted mentor sentences from esteemed authors
• Teacher notes on every slide about how to teach the concepts and possible student responses
• Guided notes for students to keep them engaged and organized
• A NO PREP, engaging, meaningful lesson that can be used at any point in the school year with any high school classroom.

I can not emphasize enough how much this method changed my entire approach to grammar. Not only did it allow my students to finally "get" concepts, but they actually started writing better in the essays they would turn in weeks after the lesson. The concepts stick!

You can easily do this remotely if you are practicing virtual learning. The entire lesson is in a google slides format and is completely editable.

Any student can become a better writer while understanding grammar concepts through this proven step-by-step process!

Check Out These Other Grammar Lessons From My Store

Independent and Subordinate Clauses

Appositive Phrases

Grammar Bundle

Are you curious to know more about mentor sentences and how to use them? Check out my full explanation with examples on my blog here!