Chapter 13 Skimming and Scanning Efficient and Flexible

Chapter 13: Skimming and Scanning Efficient and Flexible Reading, 7/e Kathleen T. Mc. Whorter © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

In this chapter you will learn: © To skim to get an overview of an article. © To scan to locate specific information quickly. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Skimming © Skimming is reading selectively to get a general idea of what an article is about. © Read some parts/skip others. © Look for the most important ideas. © Read for main ideas. © Skip facts and details. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Purposes for Skimming © Skim a newspaper © Skim through a report if you wish review of the metric only to understand system if you already the main events. are familiar with it. © Skim a section of a reference book if you © Skim a movie review to make a are looking for decision on seeing specific information. a movie. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

How to Skim © Read the title. © Read the subtitle or introductory byline. © Read the headings. © Read the first sentence of each paragraph. © Read the key words. © Read the title or legend of graphics. © Read the last paragraph or summary. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Use Skimming Effectively ©Preview skimming ©Overview skimming ©Review skimming © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Limitations of Skimming ©Cannot expect to retain facts and details. ©Expect 50% comprehension rate. ©Use only when reading for general concepts. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Alternating Skimming and Reading ©In a given article, you can skim several sections until you come to a section that is of particular interest or that fulfills your purpose for reading. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Skimming Internet Sources © Scroll through the document by using the down arrow or page down key. © Scroll through the entire document quickly, noticing the major headings, graphics, and length before you read. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Skimming Textbook Chapters Focus on: © Chapter objectives and introductions. © Headings and typographical aids. © Graphic and visual aids. © Review and discussion questions. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Skimming Reference Sources Skim for the: © Date. © Organization of the source. © Topical index. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Skimming Newspaper Articles Read the: © Title. © Opening paragraphs. © First sentences of remaining paragraphs. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Skimming Magazine Articles Read Photograph Captions. Read the: © Title/subtitle/byline. © Opening paragraphs. © Photograph/captions. © Headings/first sentences. © Last several paragraphs. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Skimming Nonfiction Books Read the: © Front and back cover of the book jacket. © Author’s credentials. © Table of contents. © Preface. © First and last chapters. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Scanning is searching for a specific piece of information; your only purpose is to locate that information. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Scanning 1. 2. 3. 4. Check the Organization. Form Specific Questions. Anticipate Word Clues. Identify Likely Answer Locations. 5. Use a Systematic Pattern. 6. Confirm Your Answer. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Scanning Columnar Materials 1. Check overall organization. 2. Scan for a specific word, phrase, name, date, or place name. 3. Use the arrow scanning pattern… straight down the column. 4. Focus on the first letter of each line. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Scanning Prose Materials 1. Let your eyes drift quickly through a passage searching for clue words and phrases. 2. Move your eyes across sentences and entire paragraphs, noticing only the clue words to locate an answer. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Summary Questions 1. What is skimming? 2. What steps should you follow to skim effectively? 3. What are three types of skimming? 4. What is scanning? 5. What steps are involved in the process of scanning? © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Critical Reading Tip #13: Anticipating Your Reading Assignments 1. What is the difficulty level of the material? 2. How it it organized? 3. What is the overall subject and how is it approached? 4. What type of material is it? 5. Are there logical breaking points where you might divide the assignment into portions, leaving a portion for later study? 6. At what points might you stop and review? 7. What connections are there between this assignment and class lectures? © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

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