Chapter 13: Skimming and Scanning

1. Chapter 13: Skimming and Scanning Efficient and Flexible Reading, 8/e Kathleen T. McWhorter © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

2. In this chapter you will learn: • To skim to get an overview of an article. • To scan to locate specific information quickly. © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

3. 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. Skimming © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

4. Skim through a review of the metric system if you are already familiar with it. Skim a section of a reference book if you are looking for specific information for a research paper. Skim a newspaper report if you wish only to understand the main events. Skim a movie review to make a decision on whether to see a movie. Purposes for Skimming © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

5. How to Skim Read the following items: • The title. • The subtitle or introductory byline. • The introductory paragraph. • The headings. • The first sentence of each paragraph. • Keywords. • The title or legend of any graphics. • The last paragraph or summary. © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

6. Use Skimming Effectively • Preview skimming • Overview skimming • Review skimming © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

7. Limitations of Skimming • You cannot expect to retain facts and details. • You can expect a 50% comprehension rate. • You should use only when you are reading for general concepts. © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

8. 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. © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

9. 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. © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

10. Skimming Textbook Chapters Focus on: • Chapter objectives and introductions. • Headings and typographical aids. • Graphic and visual aids. • Review and discussion questions. © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

11. Skimming Reference Sources Focus on the: • Date. • Organization of the source. • Topical index. © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

12. Skimming Newspaper Articles Focus on the: • Title. • Opening paragraphs. • First sentences of remaining paragraphs. © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

13. Skimming Magazine Articles Focus on the: • Title/subtitle/byline. • Opening paragraphs. • Photograph/captions. • Headings/first sentences. • Last several paragraphs. Read photograph captions. © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

14. Skimming Nonfiction Books Focus on the: • Front and back cover of the book jacket. • Author’s credentials. • Table of contents. • Preface. • First and last chapters. © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

15. Scanning Scanning is searching for a specific piece of information; your only purpose is to locate that information. © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

16. How to Scan • Check the Organization. • Form Specific Questions. • Anticipate Word Clues. • Identify Likely Answer Locations. • Use a Systematic Pattern. • Confirm Your Answer. © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

17. Scanning Columnar Materials • Check the overall organization. • Scan for a specific word, phrase, name, date, or place name. • Use the arrow scanning pattern… straight down the column. • Focus on the first letter of each line until you find the letter that begins the word you are looking for. © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

18. Scanning Prose Materials • Let your eyes drift quickly through a passage searching for clue words and phrases. • Move your eyes across sentences and entire paragraphs, noticing only the clue words to locate an answer. © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

19. Critical Reading Tip #13:Anticipating Your Reading Assignments • What is the difficulty level of the material? • How it it organized? • What is the overall subject and how is it approached? • What type of material is it? • Are there logical breaking points where you might divide the assignment into portions, leaving a portion for later study? • At what points might you stop and review? • What connections are there between this assignment and class lectures? © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

20. Summary • What is skimming? • What steps should you follow to skim effectively? • What are the three types of skimming? • What is scanning? • What steps are involved in the process of scanning? © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

21. Go Electronic http://www.ablongman.com/mcwhorter Take a Road Trip on the CD-Rom to the Indianapolis Speedway and visit the Reading Rate module. © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers