Reading: Skimming and Scanning

Reading is one of the best ways to acquire new vocabulary and learn grammar structures.

When reading, it engages the imagination. It is like having motion pictures in your mind. With this, details are printed deeply in memory that retention and recall may be long term, and comprehension may be achieved. Frequent and thorough reading are best in attaining overall linguistic competence. However, quick reading is necessary as tests and exams are time restrained.

Reading techniques for Comprehension

Quickly SKIM for NOUNS, VERBS, and ADJECTIVES
- use this when you are reading for gist
SCAN for details like DATES, DAYS, NUMBERS, etc…
- use this when you are reading for details

SKIM AND SCAN

Skimming is a reading technique used when you want to quickly get the gist or idea of a text, thus reading for gist. Skimming refers to a quick browse of the entire text, paying more attention to the content words – like nouns, verbs, and adjectives, as they provide meaning. In this manner, you are able to get the ideas or messages the writer is trying to convey quickly.

Example: Rescue teams were slow to respond and poorly equipped.

Scanning is another technique related to quick reading. It is used when reading for details. Here, readers scan the text for more specific information such as time, date, day, percent, and other specific data in the text.

Example:

On 15 November 2022, the world’s population reached 8 billion people, a milestone in human development. While it took the global population 12 years to grow from 7 to 8 billion, it will take approximately 15 years—until 2037— for it to reach 9 billion, a sign that the overall growth rate of the global population is slowing.

PRACTICE

Skim for gist [NOUNS, VERBS, and ADJECTIVES]

List down the NOUNS, VERBS, and ADJECTIVES.

2. Scan for details [DATES, DAYS, NUMBERS]

List down the numbers, dates, and days.

Skimming and Scanning Exercises

Skim for information and scan for details.

Benjamin Franklin thought that working to help people was the best work to do. One way he helped people was by opening a public library. In the 1730s, only wealthy people owned books. However, Franklin and a few other people asked 50 friends to give them a small amount of money. They used this money to buy books. Then they started a library where people could borrow books to read at home. Today, almost every town in the United States has a public library.

In nature, species become extinct when they reach the end of their evolutionary period on Earth. The length of this period depends on how well a species adjusts to changes in climate, habitat, predators, and food sources. Natural events, such as volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and sudden climate change, can cause mass extinctions if the event is on a large enough scale.

William Shakespeare’s days in London abounded with theater life. Initially, he took to the stage as an actor for The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, but he soon received praise not for his acting but for the magnificent plays he was writing. His ability to capture the interests and imaginations of playgoers of that time testifies to his talent, as many theatergoers paid more attention to the rowdy scenes occurring within the audience than they did to the play itself.

Reading for Overall Linguistic Competence Techniques