Skimming and Scanning
Navigate and read texts for specific purposes, monitoring meaning using strategies such as skimming, scanning and confirming.
Read this first
Two different speeds. Skim to see what a text is about. Scan to find one thing.
Words you need
- Skim
- Read fast for the gist. Eyes on headings and first lines.
- Scan
- Hunt for one detail. Ignore everything else.
- Gist
- The overall idea of a text.
Worked example
e.g. You have a two-page article. Find out when the bridge was built.
- First, skim. Read the title and each heading.
- Read the first sentence of each paragraph too.
- You now know the gist. The article is about a city bridge.
- Now switch to scanning. You want a date.
- Run your eyes down the page. Look only for numbers.
- Stop at the first date. Read the sentence around it.
- Confirm it answers the question. Then write it down.
Skim first for the map. Scan second for the treasure.
Practice
Decide first: do you need the gist, or one detail?
1Which do you use to find a phone number?with a picture
AnswerScanning.
2Which do you use to decide if a book is useful?with a picture
AnswerSkimming.
3You need to know if an article mentions sharks. Which do you use?with a hint
Need a hint?
You want one word only.
AnswerScanning.
4What should you read when skimming?with a hint
Need a hint?
Where does the writer put the main ideas?
AnswerTitle, headings, and the first line of each paragraph.
5Why skim before you scan?on your own
AnswerSo you know where in the text to look.
6Why is reading every word a poor way to find one fact?on your own
AnswerIt is slow. You may lose the fact among everything else.
Think about it
1
When is reading every word the right choice?
One good answerWhen the text is short and every detail matters, like an exam question.
2
Why do headings help so much when skimming?
One good answerThey are the writer's own summary. They tell you what each part holds.
Common mistakes
Skimming means reading carelessly.
No. It is reading with a purpose: to get the gist fast.
Scanning means reading the whole page quickly.
Scanning means ignoring the whole page except one thing.