Skimming and Scanning Year 9 Study Skills

1. Skimming and ScanningYear 9 Study Skills Icons key: For more detailed instructions, see the Getting Started presentation Flash activity. These activities are not editable. Teacher’s notes included in the Notes Page Extension activities Web addresses Accompanying worksheet 1 of 15 © Boardworks Ltd 2006

2. Learning objectives In this unit you will… • Practise scanning and skimming texts to pick out key pieces of information • Learn how to make notes effectively • Practise breaking longer texts down into bullet points 2 of 15 © Boardworks Ltd 2006

3. Skimming and scanning When you have a specific question to answer or information to collect, you need to be able to skim a page quickly to find the section you need. You can do this by scanning a text for a keyword. Can you define the three highlighted words above? Skim: to read something quickly so that you only note the important points. Keyword: a word of importance. Scan: to look quickly and not very thoroughly through a text in order to identify relevant information. In which specific situations do you think it would be a useful skill to be able to skim/scan quickly and accurately?

4. Scanning Find and circle the following words in this passage from Jane Austen’s Emma as quickly as possible: CLEVER HOME UNITE DISTRESS MARRIAGE EARLY Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her. She was the youngest of two daughters of a most affectionate, indulgent father, and had, in consequence of her sister’s marriage, been mistress of his house from a very early period.

5. Skimming Find out the answer to the following question by skimming the passage below. What were the names of Degas’s father and mother? Degas’s background would never have suggested he was to become the revolutionary painter he was. He was born in Paris, on 19 July 1834. His father, Auguste de Gas, was a banker but his mother, Célestine, died before Degas reached his teens. Answer: Degas’s father was called ___________________ Degas’s mother was called __________________

6. Skimming You could have read through the whole piece of text until you found the answer. A quicker way would be to find the keywords in the question – in this case ‘father’and‘mother’ – then run your eyes down the text, flicking them from left to right, until you found the same (or similar) words in the article. If all you want is one piece of information, skimming can be a time-saving device. I find it’s especially useful when you’re researching something and you don’t want to have to read whole pages on a subject just to get a few pieces of information!

7. Skimming and scanning

8. Making notes When you have a specific question to answer, skimming and scanning works well because you know exactly what you are looking for. However, if you are making notes on a topic chosen yourself it is more difficult to select the key information and to write it in your own words. Sometimes I have to read lots of information when I’m researching a topic but I don’t want to have to copy it all down. What should I do? I use bullet points to sum up the main points briefly. Try condensing each sentence to just a couple of words.

9. Making notes You have decided to cook this recipe for lunch. Make notes on all the ingredients you will need to buy: OMELETTE: Cut the potatoes into thin slices, place in a pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, and cook for 10 minutes. Peel the onions and slice thinly. Beat the eggs with a little milk. Fry the onions slightly in a large frying pan. Drain the potatoes and add them to the frying pan. Pour the beaten eggs and milk over the potatoes and onions. Cover and heat gently for 20 minutes. Melt the cheese on top, and serve.

10. Activity

11. Making notes Kefalonia is the largest of the Greek Ionian islands and certainly one of the most picturesque islands in the world. The capital is Argostoli which is on the west coast. The island has two beautiful caves: the stalactite-festooned Drogorati and Melissani with its subterranean lake. Both caves attract high numbers of tourists at peak season. Here’s an example for you! • Kefalonia is largest Ionian island • Capital is Argostoli • Two caves: Drogorati and Melissani Becomes

12. Try condensing this yourself: The Greek island of Rhodes is the most visited of the Dodecanese islands. It became part of Greece in 1948. The capital is Rhodes City, a port on the northern tip of the island which caters for the vast tourism the island experiences in the summer months. There is lots to see here, including an archaeological museum and Mussolini’s old holiday home, The Palace of the Grand Masters. • ____________________________________________________ • ____________________________________________________ • ____________________________________________________

13. Try condensing this yourself: The city of Athens became the capital of independent Greece in 1834 when the Ottoman rule ended. At the time, Athens was no more than a run-down village, but the city was reconstructed and much of the neoclassical architecture of that time still exists, although the city’s beauty has been slightly marred by the concrete sprawl which developed in the last fifty years. • ___________________________________________________ • ___________________________________________________ • ___________________________________________________

14. Greece project You have been asked to complete a project on Greece. Using the notes you have already made, as well as notes gathered from the information below and on the next slide, plan an outline for your project and write its introduction. Greece is more than mountains and beaches and good weather. It is a unique blend of East and West, inherited from the long Ottoman rule which is apparent in the food, music and traditions. Olympic Games were held in Athens in summer 2004. Greece consists of about 2000 islands, only 166 of which are inhabited.

15. Greece project The population of Greece is around 11–12 million. About a third of people live in or near to Athens. The other cities, Saloniki and Piraeus, for example, are home to most other people. Few choose to live rurally or on the smaller islands as most jobs, schools and universities are in the larger cities. Nearly all Greeks are Christian, belonging to the Greek Orthodox Church, although few young Greek people choose to live anything other than a secular lifestyle.