Cloze Reading

Cloze Reading is a technique in which words are deleted from a passage according to a word-count formula or other criteria. A passage is presented to students, who insert words as they read to complete and construct meaning from the text. This procedure can be used as an engagement strategy or a diagnostic reading assessment technique. Cloze Reading can be used in content area lessons throughout grade levels that involve reading materials such as textbooks, magazine articles, and ancillary reading materials. This activity tests reading comprehension while teaching the student about a topic.

Implementation

1. Select a self-contained passage of a length appropriate for the grade and reading levels of the students being assessed.
2. Leave the first and last sentences and all if the punctuation intact.
3. Carefully select the words for omission using a word-count formula, such as every fifth word or other criteria.

· To assess students' knowledge of the topic or their ability to use semantic cues, delete content words which carry meaning, such as nouns, main verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.

· To assess students' use of syntactic cues, delete some conjunctions, prepositions and auxiliary words.

4. When preparing the final draft of the passage, make all blanks of equal length to avoid visual clues about the lengths of the omitted words.

Classroom Management

1. Have the students read the entire passage before they fill in the blanks.
2. Encourage students to fill each blank if possible.
3. Although there should be no time limit for this exercise, the time necessary for completion should be noted.
4. Suggest that students reread the completed passage.