Middle School Reading Instruction: Using Oral Cloze to Increase Fluency

By middle school, students should be fluent in reading. Yet, some middle school students continue to struggle with fluency. However, there are specific techniques available to middle school teachers who need to facilitate fluency in students. One of these is the oral cloze procedure. This is a modification of traditional cloze which is used for outcomes other than fluency.

Oral Cloze: What is it?
During oral cloze, the teacher reads aloud while the students follow along. At strategic points, the teacher pauses and the class reads aloud the missing word. The words are omitted randomly at the teacher's discretion.

Oral Cloze: What are the benefits?
The oral cloze procedure allows teachers, to model the behaviors of fluent reading, while requiring students to actively participate. Oral cloze provides a non-threatening environment for middle school students. They aren't embarrassed to attempt missing words since the whole class is responding at once.

Oral cloze adds variety to fluency instruction in the middle school classroom. Its use along with other approaches, eliminates ineffective practices such as round robin reading.

Oral cloze is an excellent approach to use in content subjects such as science and social studies. Middle school students not only gain insight into these content areas, they also experience an increase in fluency.

Oral Cloze: How is it implemented?
When introducing new procedures in the middle school classroom, it is important to begin with modeling. In addition, explain to students what oral cloze is and why it will be beneficial to them. Establish expectations before beginning the procedure and students will benefit from using oral close during middle school literacy instruction.

sources:
http://www.learnnc.org/reference/cloze%20activity

http://www.aua.am/academics/dep/hf_publications/3%20Varieties%20of%20Cloze%20procedure.pdf

Strategies for Integrating Reading and Writing in Middle and High School Classrooms book by Karen D. Wood & Janis M. Harmon