Here’s a mini C-test you can write on the board. It’s the words to a song called “Valentine’s Day Pie.”
In a C-test the second half of every other word is missing. If the word has an odd number of letters, the larger half is taken away. An apostrophe is counted as a letter. One-letter words are skipped, and the first sentence is untouched.
The C-Test was developed by Christine Klein-Braley and Ulrich Raatz, and it is an accurate way of testing language proficiency.
Students should complete the text below by filling in the missing letters. Try this before listening to the song
I’ve got a sweetheart.
Sometimes I do___ know h__ to sh__
That I lo__ her.
S_ I ga__ her a gi__,
A le___ pie,
Ba___ it mys___
On Valen______ Day.
Ye__, a le___ pie
O_ Valentine’s D__
But I for___,
She doe____ like p__
Or lemons eit___.
Or if you prefer a straight listening activity, play the song below and ask students to write down ALL the words. You can play the song several times; it’s only 46 seconds long.
