Ranking Next Words

This worksheet helps students in Grades 3, 4, and 5 build reading fluency, grammar awareness, and critical thinking skills by exploring how large language models rank possible next words by likelihood. Learners read short sentences with three word choices and select the option that sounds most natural, modeling how AI uses probability and language patterns rather than random guessing.

Learning Goals

• Reading Fluency (Grades 3-5) – Selecting words that fit smoothly and logically within a sentence
• Grammar & Syntax Awareness – Recognizing how sentence structure guides word choice
• Probability-Based Reasoning – Understanding that some words are more likely than others based on context
• Test-Taking & Elimination Skills – Practicing how to rule out unlikely or awkward choices

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource – Designed to align with elementary ELA and language standards
• Multiple-Choice Structure – Reinforces careful reading and decision-making
• AI Concept Connection – Clearly models how LLMs predict text using likelihood and patterns
• Discussion-Ready – Encourages students to explain why one choice feels more natural
• Low-Prep Format – Easy to print and use in classrooms or homeschool settings

This printable worksheet helps students develop a stronger sense of natural phrasing, sentence flow, and word selection. By ranking possible next words instead of guessing randomly, learners gain insight into how language works and how AI systems generate text. It is a practical resource for classroom and homeschool instruction focused on fluency, grammar awareness, and understanding predictive language mechanics.

This worksheet is part of our How LLMs Work Worksheets collection.