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Skimming and Scanning

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Written by Chris Cotter

Skimming and scanning are very important reading techniques. In short, skimming
means looking through material quickly for a general sense of the ideas and
information, or even the topic itself. When you skim, you read through an article
three to four times faster than when you read each word. Scanning refers to reading
through material to find specific information. When you scan, you run your eyes
over information to pull out specific words, phrases, or data. For example:
You quickly go through a twenty-page report in a few minutes, and determine the
overall subject, tone, and a few key points. This is skimming.
You pick up the newspaper in the doctor's office, thumb through the first few pages,
and gather the gist of the events happening in the world. This is skimming.
You flip through an accounting report to find a particular set of data. This is
scanning.
You open the classified section of a newspaper, find the automobile section, and
then mark a few cars within your price range. This is scanning.
...skimming means looking through material quickly for a general sense of the ideas
and information
CLICK TO TWEET
Skimming and scanning work in tandem. For English learners, both techniques
should always be encouraged because, with practice, students realize that every
word doesn't need to be read and fully understood. Good skimming and scanning
skills means that they will no longer be so strictly bound by the text, nor their
reading and comprehension speed. There are applications both inside and outside
the classroom.
In the classroom, you may ask students to find specific key words in an article, or
answer questions for comprehension, or decide on the purpose of the article. With
students who must read and understand every word, the opportunities for effective
discussion becomes limited. The opportunity to select more challenging articles also
becomes limited, otherwise the entire class may be spent on a line-by-line
translation.
Outside the classroom, students may look at bus timetables, job advertisements,
business reports, emails, and so on. A student will need to effectively and quickly
gather and synthesize the information, an impossible expectation if he were to read
each word. The sooner students become accustomed to, develop, and improve their
skimming and scanning skills, the better.
Here are some example activities to improve skimming and scanning:

...when you scan, you run your eyes over information to pull out specific words,
phrases, or data
CLICK TO TWEET
Skimming:
Idea #1: Students read the headline and the first sentence of each paragraph of an
article. They then pair up to discuss the guessed-at topic of the article.
Idea #2: Students read the first paragraph and the last paragraph of the
article. They then work in pairs to discuss the guessed-at contents of the piece.
Idea #3: Students have two minutes to read the article. Of course, they won't be
able to complete the piece, especially if they try to read each word. After two
minutes, students get into pairs to discuss the contents of the piece. Additional
points may also be discussed, such as overall tone (humorous, serious, persuasive),
whether the writer supports or opposes the main idea,
Scanning:
Idea #1: Several content-specific questions are written on the board before students
receive the article. Students read through the text and answer the questions.
Idea #2: Key vocabulary words are written on the board before students receive the
article. Students read through the text and circle the words, then read the sentence
for each word for context.
Idea #3: You read aloud the beginning of a sentence. Students must go through the
article, find the sentence, and read it aloud.
With any of the above skimming and scanning ideas, make sure to let students
return to the piece after their discussion. Allot several minutes to skim and/or scan
through the information once more to confirm the ideas exchanged with a
partner. Students should then pair up, correct any information previously
exchanged, and add to the discussion. When you then assign students to take a
more detailed look at the article, they will be better prepared to do so.
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(c) 2015 Chris Cotter
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Skimming refers to looking over a text quickly (without reading word for word) to
get the general idea of what the text is about. When we skim, we usually:
read the title and look at any accompanying visuals
read the beginning and end of an article, ignoring the details
read just the first sentence of every paragraph
Scanning refers to looking through a text very quickly to find specific details. For
example, when we are searching for a telephone number in a directory, we scan the
page for the name of the specific person we are looking for. When we scan, we
usually:
have an idea what information we want from the text, and look for content words or
visual clues that signal that information
read in blocks of words rather than word by word
When scanning, some people find it helpful to run their finger down the middle of
the text while their eyes move back and forth to quickly find the information they a

Skimming

Skimming is an essential skill because it previews the text for the learner. Just like
knowing the topic of a conversation beforehand helps us be better listeners,
knowing the main idea of a text is extremely beneficial before students begin to
read closely. A general understanding of the broad topic will prepare them to read
for understanding and allow them to read faster.
Activity: Have skimming activities where you copy the text, blocking out everything
but the title, pictures, first lines of each paragraph, and the last paragraph. From
this information, get your students to identify the main idea and why the author is
writing this story. Have a discussion about what they already know about the text
and what they think they will learn in the details