Cloze

A cloze activity is designed to assess students’ comprehension of a text and/or knowledge of grammar. Students demonstrate this by supplying appropriate words or language items in the blank space(s) in a longer text. In a pure cloze design, the blanks are created for every nth word — often every 5th or 7th. Assessments can be designed to require that students provide only the exact word and form in the original text or appropriate variations depending on what is being assessed.

Preparation

A written text is prepared with every nth word deleted and replaced with a blank. Copies are then made for each student.

Procedure

1. Distribute the handout. 2. Give students a set amount of time to read and fill in the blanks in the cloze activity. 3. Instruct them to select a word that makes sense but that also fits grammatically into the larger text. 4. If students worked individually, they can compare their answers in pairs or groups before going over the answers as a class.

Variations

1. Instead of deleting every nth word, select particular words to delete.

For example, a. Delete the vocabulary or structures students have been learning. b. Delete function words to check student grammar. c. Delete several words in a row to check fluency and phrasing. 2. Create a modified dictation activity. Give students a script or song lyrics with some of the words replaced with blanks.

When to Use It

• To assess comprehension of a text and/or knowledge of grammar • To practice discrete listening skills • To allow students to self-assess their comprehension and grammar skills

Level

Skills

Practice

Materials

Handout with words blanked out

Preparation Time

10 minutes if a computer or a photocopier and whiteout are available; 45 minutes if a script or lyrics need to be written

Activity Time

10–20 minutes

Text

About a paragraph or 50–100 words in length