Cloze
Cloze is an instructional strategy in which selected words are removed from a connected text and learners supply the missing words by drawing on context clues, syntax, background knowledge, and meaning. It was introduced by Wilson Taylor (1953) as a readability measure rooted in the Gestalt principle of closure, and it has since become a widely used teaching and formative-assessment tool for vocabulary, reading comprehension, and writing. Because the reader must hold the surrounding passage in mind to predict each word, cloze makes the grammatical and semantic relationships in academic English visible and usable. Deletions can be systematic (e.g., every nth word) or, more useful for instruction, rational and selective, targeting specific vocabulary or grammatical features.
How it’s typically applied
- 1Choose a short, comprehensible passage tied to current content and at or slightly above students' reading level, so the surrounding text carries most of the meaning and keeps the input understandable (Krashen, 1982).
- 2Decide what the cloze should teach: use rational, selective deletions (key academic vocabulary, signal words, verb tenses, or connectors) rather than mechanical every-nth-word deletions, and keep the first and last sentences intact to preserve context.
- 3Prepare scaffolds matched to proficiency: a word bank, a sentence starter, an image, or first-letter hints for emergent levels, and an open (no-bank) version for more advanced students.
- 4Model the strategy aloud: read the whole passage first, then think aloud about how you use the words before and after each blank, the grammar, and the meaning to predict the missing word.
- 5Have students complete the cloze in pairs or small groups so they negotiate meaning and justify their choices in conversation, then complete a version independently.
- 6Debrief by asking students to explain which context clues led to each answer, accept reasonable synonyms rather than only exact matches, and use disagreements as a vocabulary and grammar discussion.
- 7Use the results formatively: blanks that many students miss signal which vocabulary, structures, or background knowledge to reteach, and also confirm whether the text level fits the reader.
Why it works for emergent bilingual students
Cloze supports emergent bilingual students because it positions them as active meaning-makers who already bring rich linguistic and conceptual resources to the task. Predicting a missing word requires using context, syntax, and background knowledge, so students draw on their full linguistic repertoire, including concepts and academic skills developed in their home language, which Cummins (1979) argues transfer across languages through a common underlying proficiency. The strategy delivers comprehensible input: the intact surrounding text keeps the passage understandable while a few targeted gaps invite students to stretch just beyond their current level (Krashen, 1982). When students supply and then justify their word choices, the task elicits pushed output, prompting them to notice gaps between meaning and form and to test hypotheses about academic English, the productive process Swain (1985) describes. Used with word banks, visuals, and collaborative talk, cloze functions as a scaffold that makes grade-level content and academic language accessible rather than a fill-in drill.
Adapting it across proficiency levels
Pre-Production
At Pre-Production, keep the language demand very low and lean on recognition and the home language. Use a highly familiar, picture-supported sentence with a single blank and a word bank of two or three options paired with images; students may point to, circle, or copy the correct word rather than write from memory. Pre-teach the target words with realia and gestures, and accept a home-language word or a labeled drawing as a valid response.
Beginning
At Beginning, provide sentence-level or short-paragraph cloze with predictable structures, a clear word bank, and visuals. Delete only a few concrete, pre-taught vocabulary words and keep first-letter hints available. Let students work with a partner so they can talk through choices, and invite simple oral justification such as naming the picture or the word before the blank.
Intermediate
At Intermediate, use paragraph-length cloze on content passages with a partial word bank that contains a few distractors, or remove the bank for the most familiar items. Target academic vocabulary plus some connectors and verb forms. Ask students to explain in a sentence which context clue led to each answer, and accept reasonable synonyms to credit meaning over exact recall.
High Intermediate / Advanced
At High Intermediate and Advanced, move toward open cloze with no word bank on grade-level academic and content-area texts, deleting nuanced vocabulary, transitions, and grammatical features that signal text structure. Ask students to defend choices, compare valid alternatives, and discuss shades of meaning, then extend the task by having them create cloze passages for peers, which deepens metalinguistic awareness.
In the classroom
In a middle-school science unit on the water cycle, the teacher gives a five-sentence summary paragraph with seven rational deletions of target terms (evaporation, condensation, precipitation, vapor, collects, rises, clouds). Pre-Production and Beginning students receive the paragraph with a labeled diagram and a word bank with picture icons; Intermediate students get a word bank with two extra distractor words; High Intermediate and Advanced students get an open version with no bank. Students first complete it in pairs, explaining which clues helped (for example, the word after the blank is "up," so the water rises). The class debriefs, the teacher accepts "evaporates" as a synonym for one blank, and notes that several students missed "condensation," signaling that the term needs reteaching with realia.
Research basis
The cloze procedure was introduced as a method, grounded in the Gestalt principle of closure, in which words are deleted from a text and readers supply them using context.
Taylor, W. L. (1953). "Cloze procedure": A new tool for measuring readability. Journalism Quarterly, 30(4), 415-433. https://doi.org/10.1177/107769905303000401 [link]
Learners acquire language most effectively through comprehensible input that is slightly beyond their current level; cloze keeps a passage comprehensible while introducing targeted demands.
Krashen, S. D. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Pergamon Press. [link]
Academic skills, concepts, and literacy strategies developed in one language transfer to another through a common underlying proficiency, so emergent bilinguals draw on their full repertoire when predicting words in context.
Cummins, J. (1979). Linguistic interdependence and the educational development of bilingual children. Review of Educational Research, 49(2), 222-251. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543049002222 [link]
Producing language (output) prompts learners to notice gaps between meaning and form and to test hypotheses about the target language, which cloze tasks elicit when students supply and justify words.
Swain, M. (1985). Communicative competence: Some roles of comprehensible input and comprehensible output in its development. In S. M. Gass & C. G. Madden (Eds.), Input in second language acquisition (pp. 235-253). Newbury House.
Sheltered instruction makes grade-level content comprehensible for English learners through scaffolds such as word banks, sentence frames, and visuals layered onto academic tasks.
Echevarria, J., Vogt, M. E., & Short, D. J. (2017). Making content comprehensible for English learners: The SIOP model (5th ed.). Pearson.
A cloze passage is a comprehension exercise in which words are omitted for students to supply, and it serves as an indicator of whether a text's reading and language level are appropriate for a given English learner.
Colorin Colorado. (n.d.). Cloze passage. In ELL glossary. WETA Public Broadcasting. Retrieved June 15, 2026, from https://www.colorincolorado.org/glossary/cloze-passage [link]
Texas adopted new English Language Proficiency Standards that expand the proficiency continuum to five levels (Pre-Production, Beginning, Intermediate, High Intermediate, and Advanced), with classroom implementation beginning in the 2026-2027 school year.
Texas Education Agency. (2024). English language proficiency standards review. https://tea.texas.gov/academics/curriculum-standards/teks-review/english-language-proficiency-standards-review [link]
When the deleted words in a cloze test are deliberately selected, supplying them can require comprehension of ideas beyond the individual sentence, making rational-deletion cloze a useful, efficient gauge of reading comprehension.
Gellert, A. S., & Elbro, C. (2013). Cloze tests may be quick, but are they dirty? Development and preliminary validation of a cloze test of reading comprehension. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 31(1), 16-28. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734282912451971 [link]
Sources reviewed by an independent second-language-acquisition specialist and an adversarial citation audit.
Ask Verónica about Cloze
Verónica is our AI tutor, and she knows this strategy. Tell her about your classroom, your mix of proficiency levels, or a specific TEKS you are planning to teach, and she will help you put Cloze to work.
These strategies are part of the free ELPS Online Helper. Learn the 2026 ELPS and earn 1 hour of CPE credit.
Explore the free course