As a homeschool mom, I’m always on the lookout for creative and engaging ways to enhance my daughter’s reading comprehension skills. Enter cloze reading activities with captivating themes! It all started when she requested Valentine’s Day-themed activities for her school day.
From there, I dove into creating decodable cloze sentences, St. Patrick’s Day cloze passages, and even Halloween cloze reading activities.
Let’s explore the ins and outs of cloze reading and how you can incorporate it into your homeschool or classroom today!
What is Cloze Reading?
Cloze reading involves presenting sentences, passages, or stories where certain words are removed, challenging students to fill in the blanks with the appropriate words. Not only does this technique improve vocabulary and word recognition, but it also enhances critical thinking and comprehension skills.
Cloze Reading Assessments
Having worked as a literacy specialist, I knew the value of cloze and maze assessments in understanding my students’ reading abilities and comprehension levels. Initially developed in 1953, cloze reading gained popularity in the 1970s and 1980s. Cloze assessments present students with passages where certain words are deleted, prompting them to fill in the blanks independently or from a word bank.
Maze assessments, a similar concept introduced later, offer students a choice of three words to fill in each deletion. These assessments are quick to administer and provide valuable insights into students’ reading performance and comprehension levels. Intervention Central even a has a free tool, the Test of Reading Comprehension- Maze Passage Generator, that allows you to create maze passages for your kids.
Cloze Reading Benefits for Your Kids
Although initially designed for measuring readability, research shows cloze activities have enhanced students’ ability to use context clues and provide motivation for reading. That’s a win-win for this homeschool mom!
Sometimes, motivating your kids is half the battle. Creating cloze activities based on my child’s interests led to more productive reading instruction time. So, whether it’s decoding a Valentine’s Day passage or uncovering the mysteries of penguins, cloze reading can be a fun and effective tool for improving your child’s reading comprehension skills.
Here are three undeniable reasons why you should incorporate cloze reading into your teaching:
- Context Clues: With cloze reading, students use information from the text to determine the best word for the blank space, strengthening their vocabulary and improving their critical thinking skills.
- Vocabulary: Cloze activities provide students with practice on new or challenging words while they engage with the text, helping them commit the meaning of these words to memory and expanding their vocabulary.
- Fluency: Engaging in multiple reads of the same passage through cloze activities helps students improve their fluency and comprehension by reinforcing their understanding of the text.
Creating Cloze Reading Activities for Your Kids
Creating a cloze activity from a text you’re reading with your child is easier than you think! Here’s a simple guide to help you get started:
- Choose a Text: Select a passage or short story you plan to read with your child. It could be a favorite picture book, a chapter from a novel, or even a non-fiction article. You can even write your own! Keep in mind that it should be on their independent reading level.
- Identify Key Words: As you read through the text, identify several important keywords or phrases for understanding the passage’s meaning. These could be vocabulary words, key concepts, or words repeated throughout the text.
- Determine Deletions: Decide which words you want to remove from the passage to create blanks for your child to fill in. Typically, you’ll want to remove every 5th to 10th word, but you can adjust this based on the difficulty level and length of the passage.
- Create Blanks: In your chosen text, replace the selected words with blank spaces or underscores to indicate where the missing words should go. Leave enough space between the blanks for your child to write in their answers.
- Provide Context: Consider providing context or clues to help your child fill in the blanks. You can include a word bank with the missing words, offer hints about the type of word needed (e.g., noun, verb, adjective), or discuss the passage’s meaning before and after completing the cloze activity.
- Engage in Discussion: After your child has filled in the blanks, take some time to discuss their answers and the passage as a whole. The key to making cloze reading activities work is asking open-ended questions that encourage critical thinking and deeper comprehension of the text afterwards. This is the most important step!
Discussion as Instruction with Cloze Reading Activities
After completing a cloze reading passage with your child, engaging in discussion is crucial for reinforcing comprehension and critical thinking skills. Discussion allows your child to reflect on their answers, clarify any misunderstandings, and make connections to the text. By asking open-ended questions and encouraging your child to explain their reasoning, you can help them deepen their understanding of the passage and develop their ability to analyze and interpret text.
Additionally, discussion provides an opportunity for you to model higher-level thinking skills and foster a love of learning in your child.
So take the time to discuss the cloze reading passage with your child—it’s a simple yet powerful way to support their reading development and cultivate a lifelong love of reading.
Unique Ways to Use Cloze Reading
Want to mix things up a bit? Let’s explore some additional fun ways to use cloze reading activities that can help boost your child’s reading skills:
**Fluency Practice**:
- Start by having your child read the complete passage aloud without missing words.
- Then, present the cloze passage and have them fill in the blanks.
- Finally, have them read their completed cloze passage again to check their answers.
These three steps make for an excellent fluency practice activity! You can even have your child practice with a partner for added fun.
**Read Aloud Cloze**: This activity is perfect for younger kids, like those in kindergarten or first grade, and it’s also great for homeschool families with kids of different ages. By reading the passage aloud, you can model fluency and keep your child engaged.
- Read the text and ask your child to fill in the blanks. You can provide a word bank or have them come up with their own answers.
- Afterward, you can discuss their choices and ask questions like, “Why did you choose this word? Does the sentence sound different with your word in it? What other words could fit here?”
This activity helps with reading comprehension and encourages critical thinking and discussion skills.
Grab Your Free Cloze Reading Activity
Ready to dive into the exciting world of cloze reading with your child? Take the next step and download your FREE cloze reading activity about polar bears!
This comprehensive resource includes:
- pre-reading activities to ignite curiosity
- a 4-page reader to explore
- thought-provoking comprehension questions to foster meaningful discussion.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to enhance your child’s reading comprehension skills while having fun learning about polar bears. Click the image below to get your freebie now and embark on an enriching reading adventure with your child!
Ready-Made Cloze Reading Comprehension Worksheets
Looking for ready-made cloze reading comprehension worksheets to add to your toolkit? Be sure to check out my TPT store for a wide variety of options. From seasonal themed passages to animal adventures, these resources are designed to make learning fun and effective!
