Are you looking for ways to help your students deepen their understanding of different texts? Many teachers use fill-in-the-blank worksheets, cloze reading strategies, and sentence frames as classroom activities. These approaches are very different from one another. How do you know which one to use?
In this blog post, we will explore what sets these three instructional techniques apart and how each one can enhance student learning in its own way. By the end of this article, you should feel confident integrating any combination of fill-in-the-blank worksheets, close reading tasks, or sentence framings into your instruction to empower all students to make meaning out of text with increasing accuracy and complexity.
In a nutshell, the differences between these strategies have to do with the differences in required output and depth of understanding required by the student.
| Fill-in-the-Blank | Cloze Reading | Sentence Frames |
|---|---|---|
| – focus on vocabulary and recall – usually missing a single word or short phrase – determines factual knowledge – usually one right answer | – focus on deeper level comprehension and syntax – students use context to determine missing words – can have multiple possibilities | – gives structure to academic language – focused on comprehension skills and strategies or writing genres – used for expressive language skills |
Below are detailed explanations, examples, and suggestions on when to use each strategy.
The fill-in-the-blank strategy is a classic approach used to assess a learner’s understanding and recall. Here, sentences are stripped of certain words, and learners are tasked to complete them. This strategy is widely used because it directly engages learners in the content.
There is one correct answer, usually a single word or a short phrase. This strategy is often used to determine factual knowledge and is closely tied to the content being learned. In fact, most often the fill-in-the-blank strategy is used after reading a text about a topic or at the end of a unit study.
Here are a few examples of fill-in-the-blank sentences.
The Eiffel Tower is located in ________.
Learners would fill in the blank with the word “Paris,” demonstrating their knowledge of world landmarks.
Sentences can also have two blanks or more blanks indicating more than one vocabulary term should be included in the blank.
If there were no decomposers in an ecosystem, then dead _____________________ and their waste would not be broken down, and their _____________________ would not be returned to the soil.
The above fifth-grade ecosystems example is best answered after having learned about decomposers and their role in an ecosystem. Students would either be given a word bank or be expected to know enough about the topic to fill in the blanks with organisms and nutrients.
Teachers should consider using fill-in-the-blank questions primarily for reinforcing factual knowledge and recall. This strategy is particularly effective after a lesson or unit of study when students have a firm understanding of the content. It is a great way to test student comprehension of key terms, facts, or concepts covered in the material.
In addition, fill-in-the-blank can be used as a tool for students to practice language skills, such as grammar and vocabulary.
Lastly, they can be used as a warm-up activity to engage students and activate prior knowledge before delving into a new lesson or topic.
Using this strategy, teachers can provide differentiated instruction, scaffolding the learning for students who need more support while offering a challenge to those who are ready for it.
We use fill-in-the-blank sentences in our science stations as one of the differentiated comprehension question options. This is the simplest option for students to respond to the text that has been read. Fill-in-the-blank worksheets are available with and without a word bank.
Cloze reading takes the fill-in-the-blank strategy up a notch. It involves presenting learners with a passage that has missing words throughout, requiring a deeper level of comprehension.
Cloze reading is used with longer passages and paragraphs. Words are selectively removed from a reading passage, typically every 7-10 words, and can belong to any part of speech. Multiple answers may fit the space, requiring students to rely on context clues and their understanding of syntax to determine the most suitable option.
Cloze reading can help to improve reading accuracy, speed, and comprehension.
______ is the source of all the energy that is used in an ______. In a process called photosynthesis, plants use the ______ from the sun to ______ carbon dioxide and water into sugar and oxygen. The energy from the sun is ______ in sugar molecules. These sugar molecules are used to make parts of the plant, like ______.
You’ll notice that some of the blanks have multiple options and focus on understanding the process vs. the vocabulary words.
This paragraph, when filled out could look like this:
Sunlight is the source of all the energy that is used in an ecosystem . In a process called photosynthesis, plants use the energy from the sun to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugar and oxygen. The energy from the sun is stored in sugar molecules. These sugar molecules are used to make parts of the plant, like leaves .
The blanks for the words convert, stored, and leaves could have multiple options.
Teachers should implement the cloze reading strategy to enhance students’ reading comprehension and engagement with a text. It is particularly effective in lessons aimed at improving context clue usage, vocabulary development, and understanding of syntax, thus is a strategy often used in upper elementary grades and beyond.
This strategy is also valuable when teachers wish to assess a student’s ability to understand a passage as a whole, rather than isolated facts.
Additionally, it can be used as a tool to help students make predictions, draw inferences, and promote critical thinking. Finally, the Cloze reading strategy is a potent tool to improve reading fluency, as it encourages students to read smoothly and with understanding.
While we do use Cloze reading strategies in our Animal Articles, Biographies, and a few other reading passage resources, our use of the Cloze reading strategy is not used with fidelity in those resources. We blur the lines between the fill-in-the-blank and Cloze reading. With those resources, we have focused on developing vocabulary and creating an easier-to-read condensed version of the text that focuses on the key concepts of the passage. We call it Cloze reading, but it doesn’t fully adhere to the true definition of the reading strategy.
We have created thematic Cloze Reading Passages. The Halloween version is in the photograph above. It is available on my website and on Teachers Pay Teachers.
One way to use a Cloze reading passage is to provide students with a paragraph or passage with blank spaces. Do not provide the words that you would include in the blanks.
Have individual students spend time filling out the blanks with what they think best fits the reading passage. Then have students get together with a partner or small group to discuss their responses. Students will likely have different responses.
Students can correct or modify their responses, but encourage them to discuss why they chose a particular word for the space. What about that word makes it a good fit? Or if they chose to change the word, why did they change it?
After students have shared their work with a small group, have small groups share out with the whole class. Choose to discuss responses that vary widely. Why did students choose a particular word for the blank? What part of speech would go in that space? What other words might fit?
The art of Cloze reading passages is the ability to dig deeper with vocabulary and syntax usage. This benefit grows stronger during class discussions about shades of meaning and grammatical features of the words chosen. Use these as teachable moments to dig deeper into syntax and word meaning.
Cloze reading passages are best created by the classroom teacher for a specific purpose to use with a specific group of students. It is an exercise to develop deeper levels of comprehension, use of context clues, and facilitate discussions on syntax.
Given these objectives, it is best to take a piece of text that you’re already using and strategically remove some of the tier 2 vocabulary. Students should be familiar with the vocabulary that is removed but may lack a depth of understanding of the use of those words in a variety of contexts.
Sentence frames are an excellent strategy for fostering language development. They provide a scaffold that helps learners construct sentences. They’re particularly helpful for English language learners as they provide a structure for academic language that learners can use to convey their ideas.
Sentence frames give structure to academic language by providing a structure for using comprehension skills and strategies or writing genres orally or in writing. Sentence frames are used for expressive language requirements. With sentence frames, there is often more than one possible correct answer. They can also be used to share or explain ideas.
Here’s an example:
In my opinion, the most effective strategy is _______ because _______.
Learners could complete the frame as follows:
In my opinion, the most effective strategy is cloze reading because it helps improve reading accuracy and comprehension .
Teachers should employ sentence frames when they aim to enhance student expression, particularly in discussions and writing tasks. This strategy is particularly effective for students learning English as a second language, or those struggling with sentence structure and clarity in their communication.
Utilizing sentence frames can help students articulate complex thoughts, draw comparisons, express opinions, or make predictions more confidently.
Furthermore, sentence frames can be a great tool to scaffold learning in content areas like science or social studies, where students need to use academic language to explain processes or concepts. They act as a springboard, setting students up for successful communication while gradually building their linguistic independence.
We use sentence frames in our opinion writing resources. They provide students with a structure for each component of the opinion writing process, like the introduction, the sharing of an opinion statement, reasons, examples, and a conclusion statement. We also use sentence frames in our reading comprehension bookmarks that focus on reading skills and strategies.
These strategies – the Fill-in-the-Blank, Cloze Reading, and Sentence Frames – are powerful tools in your educational arsenal. Each one, in its unique way, engages learners and paves the path for a deeper understanding.
Welcome! I'm Jessica.
My passion is making learning accessible to all students. I love scaffolding teaching, breaking down concepts, and building them up so students can see all the connections.
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