Sentence Completion — Fill in the Blank
Fill in missing words to complete sentences.
Words
Match
How to run it
Read the whole sentence including the blank, then wait. The context is what supplies the answer, and a student who guesses before the sentence finishes has not used it. When an answer is wrong but plausible, accept it and ask which fits better — hat and coat both work for the cold sentence, and reasoning between them is more useful than a right-wrong judgement. Ten minutes covers the twelve.
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 the target grammatical form 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 sentences with a word removed: I brush my ___ every morning; the bird flew into the ___; she put on her ___ because it was cold; he rode his ___ to school; the sun comes up in the ___; put the milk in the ___. Each blank has one strongly expected answer, which is what makes this a comprehension task rather than a creative one.
What to listen for
Listen for answers that fit the grammar but not the meaning, which suggests the student is reading the sentence frame rather than its content. Watch the because sentence, which requires connecting the missing word to a stated reason — that is a step beyond the ones where the blank is simply a familiar object.
Carrying it home
Leaving a word out of your own sentence and letting a child fill it in works anywhere. Put the milk in the — is a real sentence in a real kitchen and takes no preparation at all.
What's in this activity
- I brush my ___ every morning. teeth
- The bird flew into the ___. tree
- We eat ___ at noon. lunch
- She put on her ___ because it was cold. coat
- The baby drinks from a ___. bottle
- He rode his ___ to school. bike
- Please close the ___. door
- The cat is sleeping on the ___. bed
- I write with a ___. pencil
- We saw a movie at the ___. theater
- The sun comes up in the ___. morning
- Put the milk in the ___. refrigerator
Questions
- What grades is this for?
- First through fourth, for vocabulary and sentence comprehension.
- Is it free?
- Yes, all twelve sentences play with no account.
- What if my student gives a different but sensible answer?
- Accept it. Hat and coat both work for a cold sentence, and asking which fits better builds more than marking one wrong.
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.