Skimming Scanning Matierals

Skimming & Scanning Guide
SKIM You skim for information by reading it over briefly to see if what you
are reading has the information you need.
SCAN When you scan a selection for information you look for key words.
You know exactly what you are looking for.
Dont read the whole text, read bits of the text

Forget details. Concentrate on main ideas
The idea is that what you need to read when you skim are the important/general bits of
the text. You dont want to waste time on details you can do that later. All you have to
do is decide what the important parts of the text are. Want to know what the important
bits are? Here is my suggestion:
1. Look at chapter titles, headings, and topic sentences to get a feel for what you are
reading.
2. The first sentence in every paragraph is normally important and gives the main idea of
the paragraph.
What was it about?

Note/underline key words/phrases
No details needed here. But it is really important you take notes and/or underline a few
details so you remember them later and also help you understand what you are reading.
When doing a reading exercise

1. Try skimming first (highlight/underline & take quick notes)
2. Then focus on the questions
3. Scan the text by looking for words that relate to the question that tells you
where the answer is
4. Then closely read the text and answer the question
Scanning
Find and circle the following words in this passage from Jane Austens Emma as quickly
as possible:
CLEVER HOME UNITE DISTRESS MARRIAGE EARLY

Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy
disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly
twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her.
She was the youngest of two daughters of a most affectionate, indulgent father, and had,
in consequence of her sisters marriage, been mistress of his house from a very early
period.
Skimming
Find out the answer to the following question by skimming the passage below.
What were the names of Degass father and mother?
Degass background would never have suggested he was to become the revolutionary
painter he was. He was born in Paris, on 19 July 1834. His father, Auguste de Gas, was a
banker but his mother, Clestine, died before Degas reached his teens.
Degas father was called: __________________________________________
Degass mother was called: ________________________________________
Making notes
Condense the information below into bullet points.
The Greek island of Rhodes is the most visited of the Dodecanese islands. It became part
of Greece in 1948. The capital is Rhodes City, a port on the northern tip of the island
which caters for the vast tourism the island experiences in the summer months. There is
lots to see here, including an archaeological museum and Mussolinis old holiday home,
The Palace of the Grand Masters.
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Now condense this text into bullet points.
The city of Athens became the capital of independent Greece in 1834 when the Ottoman
rule ended. At the time, Athens was no more than a run-down village, but the city was
reconstructed and much of the neoclassical architecture of that time still exists, although
the citys beauty has been slightly marred by the concrete sprawl which developed in the
last fifty years.
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Skimming
Answer the following questions.
1. Did you read everything in the article?
YES NO
2. Could you understand the main ideas of the article?
YES NO
3. Is it necessary to always read everything in an article?
YES NO
Skimming is
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
What type of information do you skim?

1. _________________________________
2. _________________________________
3. _________________________________
4. _________________________________
How to Skim
1. Always work quickly.
Remember that details are not important.
2. Read the first sentence or two at your usual speed.
Ask yourself What is this about?
3. Read only a few words in each paragraph after that. You should look for words that
tell you about the main idea. Often they are at the beginning of the paragraph, but
they may also be at the end.
4. As soon as you guess the main idea, go to the next paragraph. Remember that you
dont have to know the details. You only have to learn the main idea about the
passage.

Skimming Scanning Matierals

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Skimming & Scanning Guide

Dont read the whole text, read bits of the text

What was it about?

When doing a reading exercise

CLEVER HOME UNITE DISTRESS MARRIAGE EARLY

What type of information do you skim?

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