 Quickly identify main ideas of a text

 Skimming is 3 to 4 times faster regular

reading
 Used when there is a lot of material and a
short amount of time
 Read the first and last paragraph
 Read headings, subheadings, titles, subtitles,
and illustrations
 Read the first sentence of every paragraph
 Skimming works well with dates, names and
places
 Used to search for key terms
 When you know what you are looking for you
can through texts to find the information
 Good to use when determining whether a
source will have the answers you are looking
for
 First look at how the author organizes his
information
 Look for bold faces, italics, or different sized
fonts
 The author may also put key information in
the margins of pages
 1. Prepare yourself
 Set the time length that you will read for
 Collect all your materials
 Find a comfortable place to read
 Relax and focus on what you need to accomplish
 2. Overview
 Look at titles, subtitles, and headings to find
what information is there
 Look at charts and pictures and relate them to
subtitles
 Ask what you are going to get from the reading
 3. Read During Daylight Hours
 Studies show people are most efficient readers
during the day time
 A person will read a passage in half the time if
they read in the daylight
 Read during breaks in you day to allot for
relaxation during the night when you need rest
 4. Avoid Distractions
 Keep a notebook near you to write down things
that come to mind (other assignments, people to
call, etc) so you can them later
 Read in place where there is nothing to distract
you
 Turn off TV, music, facebook, and anything else
that will break your concentration
 5. Take a Break
 Studies show that reading becomes less efficient
if you do not take a break to refresh your mind
 A 5 minute break is recommended for every hour
of reading
 Do something well defined so it does not drag on
and you do not become distracted
 6. Read Often
 Reading often helps build your reading skills
 Reading at the same time everyday turns reading
into a habit
 You paid for your textbooks so you might as well
read them
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