Chapter - 04 - Reading Fluency

Skimming and Scanning

(1)  Skimming:  Skimming is method of rapidly moving the eyes over text with the purpose of only getting only the main ideas and a general overview of the content.

(A) Skimming is useful in three different situations:

·         Pre – reading: Skimming is more detailed than simple previewing.

·         Reviewing: Skimming is more useful for reviewing text already read.

·         Reading: Skimming is most often used for quickly reading material that, for any number of reasons, does not need more detailed attention.

(B) Steps in Skimming an article:

·         Read the title

·         Read the introduction

·         Read the first paragraph completely

·         Read number of each subheadings

·         Read the first sentence of each paragraph

·         Read detail text that you looking for

·         Read the paragraph completely

(C) Skimming can usually be accomplished at about 1000 words per minute.

(2) Scanning: Rapidly covers a great deal of material in order to locate a specific fact or piece of information.

(A) Scanning is useful for finding specific name, date, statistic or fact without reading the entire circle.

(B) Steps in Scanning an article:

·         Keep in mind all the time, what it is you are searching.

·         Predict in what form the information is likely to appear.

·         Analyze the organization of content before starting to scan:

a.      If material is familiar or fairly brief,

b.     If the material is lengthy or difficult

·      Let your eyes run rapidly over several lines of print at a time.

·      When you find the sentence that has the information you seek, read the entire sentence.