Skimming and Scanning a key Reading Comprehension Skill
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The document discusses skimming and scanning as rapid reading methods. Skimming involves quickly gathering the main ideas or gist without understanding every word. Scanning involves looking for specific information quickly while ignoring unrelated details. The document provides examples of when to use skimming and scanning and tips for how to skim, such as reading titles, introductions, and conclusions, as well as how to scan, like anticipating where to find answers.
Skimming and Scanning a key Reading Comprehension Skill
- 1. Reading ComprehensionReading Comprehension SkillsSkills Skimming and Scanning
- 2. Skimming and scanning are very rapid reading methods in which you glance at a passage to find specific information. These reading methods make it easier for you to grasp large amounts of material, especially when you're previewing. They are also useful when you don't need to know every word. Skimming and scanning are especially valuable when there is only one item of information that you need to find from a particular passage.
- 3. Skimming is used to quickly gather the most important information or ‘gist’. It’s not essential to understand each word when you are skimming. Run your eyes over the text, noting important information. Use skimming to quickly get up to speed on a current business situation.
- 4. Examples of Skimming:Examples of Skimming: The Newspaper – to quickly get the general news of the day Magazines – to quickly discover which articles you would like to read in more detail Business and Travel Brochures – to quickly get informed
- 5. How to Skim?How to Skim? Working quickly… 1. Read the title if there is one. 2. Read the introduction or the first paragraph if there is one. 3. Read the first sentence of every other paragraph. 4. Notice any pictures, charts, or graphs. 5. Notice any italicized or boldface words or phrases. 6. Read the summary or last paragraph if there is one.
- 6. Skim and scan thisSkim and scan this paragraphparagraph in 30 secondsin 30 seconds When you skim and scan, you need to cover everything, even titles, subtitles, side features, and visuals. That bit of information you need may not be tidily packaged in a paragraph, so you need to check the entire page--not just the main body of the text, there are also many visual clues that help you to find information. Heads and subheads break up the text and identify the content of each part. Where key terms are introduced and defined, they appear in boldface type. Graphs and charts have titles and/or captions that tell you what they are about. These clues will help you to find information. . . but only if you use them.
- 7. In other words, when you areIn other words, when you are skimming and scanning…skimming and scanning… 1. Cover everything 2. Check entire page 3. Notice visual clues 4. Notice graphs, charts, titles, captions
- 8. Examples of Scanning: A google search list on the internet. A bus / airplane schedule A conference guide A graph Scanning is a reading technique to be used when you want to find specific information quickly. In scanning you have a question in your mind and you read a passage only to find the answer, ignoring unrelated information.
- 9. How to scanHow to scan 1. State the specific information you are looking for. 1. Try to anticipate how the answer will appear and what clues you might use to help you locate the answer. For example, if you were looking for a certain date, you would quickly read the paragraph looking only for numbers. 1. Use headings and any other aids that will help you identify which sections might contain the information you are looking for. 1. Selectively read and skip through sections of the passage.
- 10. Scanning PracticeScanning Practice Here is some information you are looking for on the BC Hydro website. Read the questions and then on the next slide , find the answers, as quickly as possible: 1. Who is handling inquiries? 2. What is the after hours media line? 3. What is a good example of BC Hydro Clean Energy Project?
- 12. Scanning answersScanning answersRemember it’s important to quickly find the information you need. You don’t need to understand every word, orRemember it’s important to quickly find the information you need. You don’t need to understand every word, or read every word. Your eyes should quickly scan the document for the information you seek.read every word. Your eyes should quickly scan the document for the information you seek.
- 13. ConclusionConclusion Skimming and scanning is used when reading all types of documents. We skim to get the idea of what a document is about and typically skim all documents before we actually begin to read. As we skim, we… think about the topic think about what we already know about the topic start to guess or anticipate the details we are going to read about. We scan for specific information. We work quickly when we skim and scan.
Editor's Notes
- #2: Hi … welcome to EPA Reading Module one. This is a ppt on skimming and scanning, a key reading comprehension skill Notice the image of the stop watch. It’s there because skimming and scanning is about working quickly to get the information you need from a document.
- #4: AS you run your eyes over text, notice key vocabulary words, not worry about grammar words. What do the key words make you think about. Do you already know something abut this? When we skim, we prepare to read. An example of skimming is…current business situation
- #5: Other examples
- #6: We skim all sorts of documents. Here are some tips on skimming. As you skim, make connections with the information – what do you know about this? Can you compare it to something you know? Think of it as preparing to read in depth. When a house is constructed, the builders need to have an idea about the house – they need to know what the house will look like before they start looking at the details of the plan.
- #7: You have thirty seconds starting now…
- #8: Once again – prepare to read… by doing this you will understand the text more quickly.
- #9: You know what information you want before you start to read.
- #11: You have 30 seconds starting now
- #13: Who is handling inquiries What is the after hours media line What is a good example of a BC Hydro clean energy project