scanning and skimming

SCANNING AND SKIMMING

SCANNING Is reading in search of information which,

prior to actual reading, is already identified as the specific information to be located. That is why reading is done in “skip-search”

SKIMMING If your purpose is to get a bird’s eye view or

helicopter view of what you will read, what you do is skim. You do this by previewing, overviewing and surveying,

PREVIEWING Means taking general look at the reading

material or selection to get a general idea of what the material or selection contains.

OVERVIEWING Means taking a closer look at the chapters or

sections of the newspaper, magazine, or book or at the subtitles or paragraphs of a section.

SURVEYING Means giving the reading material a rundown

from its first section or chapter to its last, and a selection from its first paragraph to its last. Going through this process can make you see if the reading material or the selection really need to be read thoroughly.

PREVIEWING MAY BE DONE BY:For a newspaper:

a. reading the title or nameb. reading the name of publisher, and the place and date of publicationc. reading the Editorial Box for the Editorial

Board

For a magazine:a. reading the title or nameb. reading the name of publisher, and the place and date of publicationc. reading the Editorial Box for the Editorial

Board

For a book:a. reading the title b. reading the name of publisher, and the place and date of publication.c. reading the author, or editor, or translator.d. reading the table of contents

For a selection:a. read the titleb. read the author

OVERVIEWING MAY BE DONE BY:For a newspaper:

a. determining the sections.b. reading the title of each section.c. reading the author of each section.d. reading the title of the different column.e. reading the columnist of each column.

For a magazine:a. determining the sections.b. reading the title of each section.c. reading the editor of each section.d. reading the title of the regular feature.e. reading the author of each feature.

For a book:a. reading the preface or foreword.b. reading the table of contents.c. reading the first and last paragraphs of the

first chapter.d. reading the first and last paragraphs of the

last chapter.

For a selection:a. reading the first paragraph.b. reading the opening sentence of each succeeding paragraph.c. reading the last paragraph.

SURVEYING MAY BE DONE BY:For a newspaper:

a. reading the headlines on the front and inside pages.b. determining the headline storyc. determining the subject of the editoriald. determining the subject of the column article.e. determining the subject of business, politics, sports, environment, etc. news.

For a magazine:a. determining the kinds of article inside.b. read the first paragraph of the article to be

read.c. read the last paragraph of the same article.

For a book:a. read the first and last paragraph of each

chapter or determining the selection title and their respective authors.b. reading the sub-titles under each chapter.c. read the entire first chapter.d. read the entire last chapter.

For a selection:a. read the first paragraph carefully.b. read the first sentence of each succeeding

paragraph.c. read the final paragraph carefully.d. formulate questions you would like to answer when you read the selection carefully.