Cleft Sentence Practice
Practice cleft constructions for emphasis: It is X that/who...
Session summary (SOAP)
Stays on this screen. Nothing is saved or sent.
Mark a card Correct, Correct with cue or Incorrect and the summary writes itself here.
How to run it
Start from the plain sentence and transform it. Sam won the race becomes It is Sam who won the race, and doing the conversion in that direction makes the point of the structure obvious — you are choosing what to emphasise. Then reverse it: give the cleft and ask for the plain version, which checks comprehension. Ask what each one is emphasising, because a student who cannot say why you would use it will not use it. Twelve minutes covers the set with transformations.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentPresent the item and wait 5 seconds of quiet before helping.Log as correct
- HintStress the part of the sentence that changes, or point to the word ending.Log as cued
- Sentence starterSay the first half of the sentence and let the student finish it.Log as cued
- ModelSay the correct form in the whole sentence; the student repeats it.Log as cued
Adjust it
Give a sentence starter every time, and do fewer cards.
Ask for a new sentence of the student's own with the same form, with no card to lean on.
Matching IEP goal
Given sentence cards, Student will produce complex sentences in sentences in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than an indirect cue.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Twelve cleft sentences: It is Sam who won the race. It was the dog that barked all night. It was Maria who found the keys. It was on Friday that we left. It is science that I like best. A cleft splits one clause into two in order to put emphasis somewhere specific, and it is the construction students meet constantly in reading and almost never produce.
What to listen for
Listen for who against that. Clefts on people take who and clefts on things take that, and students who have never had it explained tend to use one for everything. Watch for the tense in the frame — it is against it was — which students often leave at the default rather than matching to the sentence. Notice whether the emphasis is understood: asking who won the race after It was Maria who found the keys is a good check.
Carrying it home
Clefts show up in ordinary insistence — it was me who did it. Pointing one out when it happens naturally in conversation does more than practice sentences, because the emphasis is real.
What's in this activity
- It is Sam who won the race.
- It was the dog that barked all night.
- It is the teacher who assigned the homework.
- It was Maria who found the keys.
- It is my sister who plays piano.
- It was the storm that knocked down the tree.
- It is Ben who scored the goal.
- It was Grandma who baked the pie.
- It is the noise that keeps me awake.
- It was on Friday that we left.
- It is science that I like best.
- It was the coach who made the call.
Questions
- What grades is this for?
- Fifth through eighth, where complex syntax in reading outstrips what students produce in speech and writing.
- Is it free?
- Yes, all twelve sentences play with no login.
- Why teach a structure students rarely say?
- Because they read it constantly. Comprehension of a cleft depends on recognising that the emphasised element has been moved, and producing a few is the fastest way to make that structure visible.
Use this board with your caseload
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.
Track progress freeFree for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.