Reading Part: scanning vs skimming skills

Basically, these are the differences between scanning and skimming a given text:

 

• Scanning: The kind of technique we use when looking up a word in a dictionary or in the Yellow Pages. You know what you are looking for so you are searching for that keyword or idea (you expect to find); i.e. you’re focused on finding a particular answer. When I scan a text, I look for words that are bold faced, italics, or in a different font size, style, or color.

Play this game! This game will help you practise scanning for information as you try to discover who has committed a horrible murder in Sleazeville! (It is important that you print out the cluesheet before starting the game. You need Flash player)

 

• Skimming: The kind of technique we use when reading a newspaper or magazine. We don’t know we are looking for yet but we want to know what the text is about, to see if it is of interest. What do I do to skim a text? It’s a personal decision, but what I usually do is to read the heading or subheading and check the illustrations and images, if any. Then I read the first and last lines of each paragraph.

Take this skimming quiz! Are you a good skim reader? Brush up your skim reading skills with this three level against-the-clock quiz.

About these ads