skimming and scanning

SKIMMING AND SCANNING

Good readers read at different speeds for different purposes. Sometimes it is important to read slowly and carefully, such as went you are reading a textbook to prepare for a test. Other times, you can read much more quickly. When you only want to find out what something is about such as the general topic of an article, you can read it very quickly. This is called skimming. You can also read very quickly when you looking for a specific piece of information in a reading. This is called scanning. Skimming and scanning are two important reading skills that require fast reading.

SKIMMING

Skimming is a way to read quickly in order to discover the general idea of a text. When you skim, you do not read every word. You do not stop to look up words you do not know in a dictionary. Skimming is a good technique to use when you have lots of material to read in a short amount of time. The propose of skimming is not to understand or remember everything you read. Instead, it is to get a general idea of what the passage is about.

When you want to skim:

· Read the first few sentences. You can often to get a general idea about the passage right from the start.

· Read the last few sentences. These sentences often summarize information in the passage.

· Look for key word (word that are repeated). They will give you clues about the topic.

SCANNING

Scanning is another ways to read quickly. But it is different from skimming. When you scan you read quickly in order to find specific information. To scan, you move you eyes quickly across the text. You do not read every word.

To scan effectively you need to do several things:

· Know the specific information you are looking for.

· Ignore the words and information that aren’t important for you purpose.

· Move your eyes rapidly across the text until you find the information and then stop reading.