Would you scan or skim?

How would you read the following? Decide which one requires you to skim or to scan the text (click on “Comments” below and leave your answer there)…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CAN YOU THINK OF MORE EXAMPLES ON EACH CATEGORY? (SKIMMING VS SCANNING)

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.