Skimming & Scanning

What is skimming and scanning?

 Skimming and scanning are techniques we use to

find information quickly.
 Sometimes you need to be able to read a text very
quickly.
 Skimming
 Skimming allows you to quickly find the main
idea of a paragraph, page, chapter or article and a
few (but not all) of the details.
 You don't need to read every word when you
skim because it is a type of fast reading.
 Skimming
Skimming is used to get the main idea of a text. We can do this
by:
 Skimming the title
 Skimming the topic sentences
 Skimming the concluding sentences
 Looking at any headings, diagrams, pictures and charts
 Looking at the way the text is organised
 Reading any words in bold type
 Make connections to predict the main idea of the text
 We skim when…
 We look through the options given on a Google
search to see what sites it suggests.
 We browse through a book to decide whether we
want to read it.
 Remember! Skimming should be 3-4 times faster
than normal reading.
 Scanning
 Scanning allows you to quickly find specific
information in a text without reading the entire
piece.
 You have scanned successfully when you have
found the information you were looking for.
 Scanning

Scanning is used to find specific information in a

text. We look for:
 The word that means...
 The sentence that tells...
 Dates, names, places
 Key words to find the specific information
quickly
 We scan when…
 We look through the television guide to see
what's on one evening.
 We look up details or prices in a catalogue.
 We want to find an address or a phone number in
a phone directory.
To conclude…
By using the quick reading techniques of
skimming and scanning, you will be able to find
the main idea of a text and locate information
quickly.