Reading Reading Comprehension SkillsComprehension Skills

Skimming and Scanning

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.

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.

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

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.

Skim and scan this Skim and scan this paragraphparagraph in 30 seconds in 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.

In other words, when you are In other words, when you are skimming and scanning…skimming and scanning…

1. Cover everything2. Check entire page3. Notice visual clues4. Notice graphs, charts, titles,

captions

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.

How to scanHow to scan1. 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.

Scanning PracticeScanning PracticeHere 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?

Scanning answersScanning answersRemember it’s important to quickly find the information you need. You don’t need to Remember 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 understand every word, or read every word. Your eyes should quickly scan the document for the information you seek.the information you seek.

Conclusion Conclusion 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 topicthink about what we already know about

the topicstart 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.

SourceSource http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:2odfOnypOhIJ:team.zobel.dlsu.edu.ph/sites/students/H4/

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