DEFINITION
The oral cloze technique is a research-based strategy that encourages students to think about what word would fit into a sentence to make sense of the text, as well as fit into the context of the reading.

PURPOSE AND BENEFITS

• The oral cloze technique helps students recognize that written words carry meaning. 
• It develops comprehension prereading strategies, such as prediction. 
• Students learn to use context clues. 
• It can be used to assess a variety of emergent literacy skills.

ECE–GRADE 1

• The oral cloze technique gives students practice with oral expression. 
• It engages students in active listening. 
• It creates enthusiasm for reading.

GRADE 2 AND UP

• The oral cloze technique can be used with passages to improve reading skills. 
• It engages struggling readers as they are focusing on finding out the missing words. 
• It holds students’ attention.

PROCEDURE

• Choose books that are familiar to the children. 
  
  • Patterned books and rhyming books work well. 
• Preselect the words you want to be the “missing words.” These are words that students can find through illustrations or repetition. 
• Share the illustrations with students before you begin reading. 
  
  • Let them clearly view the pictures of items or events to match your missing words. 
  • Note that predictable text requires no illustrations. 
• Read with expression. 
• Pause at the place for the target word and ask, “What is the next word?” 
• If students give you the correct word or a synonym for the word, then continue reading. 
  
  • Students may supply words that are acceptable possibilities instead of the missing word. Use this opportunity to discuss vocabulary and how some words fit into the context while others will not. 
• If the students are unable to give the correct word, then read the sentence again.

MODIFICATIONS
An oral cloze can be used to develop predictive listening.

EXAMPLE VIDEO
Word Study In Action
Cloze technique is demonstrated with a group of students as the teacher encourages them to consider and support responses.

EXAMPLE OF AN ORAL CLOZE ACTIVITY
This is an example of an oral cloze activity from Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, by Judith Voirst. I went to sleep with gum in my [mouth] and now there’s gum in my [hair]. And when I got out of [bed] this morning I tripped on the [skateboard] and by mistake I dropped my [sweater] in the [sink] while the [water] was running and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very [bad] day.

My bath was too [hot]. I got soap in my [eyes], my marble went down the [drain], and I had to wear my railroad-train [pajamas]. I hate my [railroad-train] pajamas.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE ORAL CLOZE STRATEGY
Instructional Strategies Online: http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr/strats/cloze/
PDF file on cloze strategy: http://ndhsliteracylinks.wikispaces.com/file/view/Cloze+Strategy.pdf
Article: “How to Use Cloze Techniques”: http://www.ehow.com/how_8654374_use-cloze-techniques.html
Conversational Cloze as a Measure of Oral Ability: Concept of Testing and Evaluation, Role of Teaching in Testing, and Relevant Information on Cloze Test by Md Sohel Rana