Cloze Procedure

PURPOSE OF THE STRATEGY

Originated by Taylor (1953), a Cloze passage contains systematically deleted words. The Cloze Procedure determines what students already know about a given topic and assesses the suitability of a new text for studetns by testing their prior knowledge and language competence as they fill in the blanks.

DIRECTIONS:

Step One: Selection

Choose a passage of approximately 300 words from the text. Leave a lead-in of about 25 words. See passage, which is the first chapter of Seedfolks. Underline every fifth word and then leave a closing of about 25 words intact. The underlined words constitute the missing words the students will supply.

Step Two: Administration

Tell the students you have an activity in which they will guess the missing words. Tell them the passage comes from the novel Seedfolks which the class will begin reading soon. Explain to the students that this activity, called a cloze passage, is a good way for you to assess their background knowledge. Emphasize that this is not a time or graded test. Distribute copies of the cloze passage handout to the students. Instruct them to read the passage first and then fill in each blank with a word they think the author might have used. Allow them as long as they need to finish the task.

Step Three: Scoring and Assessment

Count only the exact replacements to score the cloze passage. Do not count synonymns as correct. Do not penalize spelling errors. The raw score is the number of words that are correct. Double this number to find students' percentage.

For example, if there are 35 correct replacements, 35 x 2 = 70%. Then evaluate the selection based on the following:

60% and above Material is too easy Independent Level

40%-60% Material is about right Instructional Level

Under 40% Material is too difficult Frustration Level

Home To Student Handout To Cloze Passage Key


60% and above	Material is too easy	Independent Level
40%-60%	Material is about right	Instructional Level
Under 40%	Material is too difficult	Frustration Level


Home		To Student Handout		To Cloze Passage Key

Reading Strategies developed by Amy Ferguson Hackworth Fall 2000 for Dr. Sirpa Grierson, BYU	Page created by Amy Ferguson Hackworth Fall 2000 Last Updated 11 December, 2000	Banner courtesy of