Creating a Fill In the Blanks activity

Fill In the Blanks is a fun activity where students drag words or numbers into blanks. Write a sentence with up to ten blank spaces, then let students drag the words around the board to fill in the missing information that belongs in those blanks.

Here’s an example of a Fill in the Blanks activity based on Lewis Carroll’s nonsense poem, ‘‘Jabberwocky.’’

This example was created by typing the poem’s first two stanzas and then selecting words to appear as blanks.

Follow the instructions below to create your own version of this activity.

To create a Fill In the Blanks activity

1. Tap Activities in the SMART Notebook toolbar.

   The Select an Activity dialog box opens.

   

2. Select Fill In the Blanks.

   The activity’s Add Content dialog box opens.

3. In the Edit text area, type or paste the text to use in the activity.

   Tip 

   You can add up to 300 characters. The character counter shows you how many characters are left.

4. In the Check Answers section to the right of the text box, select one of these options:

   • When Prompted – a Check Matches button appears in the activity so players can decide when to check their work.

   • Instantly – players see whether the answers are correct right away.

   • Don’t check – players cannot see answers.

5. Below the text box, click Define Blanks and then click a word. The word becomes a blank that students will fill in.

   Tips 

   • Use the sizing handles to change your selection. Like this:.

   • To remove a blank, click it again.

6. Continue to select words to appear as blanks.

7. When you’re done, click Next.

   The Select a Theme dialog box opens.

8. Select a theme for your activity and click Finish.

   The activity loads and then appears on a new lesson page.

To play a Fill in the Blanks activity

1. Navigate to the lesson page that contains the activity.

   Tip 

   To enable your students to play the activity or to make contributions from their own devices, see Connecting student devices.

2. Have students work individually, in teams using their devices, or as a class at the board, to drag the words or numbers into the correct blanks.

   Tip 

   The activity controls appear in the top right corner of the page:

   • Use to turn activity sound on or off.

   • Use to restart the activity.

   • Use to modify the activity.

To review a Fill in the Blanks activity

1. Tap the Check answers button that appears when the activity is complete.

2. If an answer is correct, a appears beside it. If an answer is incorrect, a appears beside it.