Week 6

Skimming, Scanning and

Reading for the Main Idea
Reading Activities
 What is reading comprehension?
Understanding a written text:
Extracting the required information from it as
efficiently as possible
 What do we read?
•Instructions
• Novels •Reports •Legends
• Short stories •Reviews •Directions
•Maps
• Tales
•Summaries •Notices
• Essays •Statistics
• Diaries •Pamphlets •Rules & regulations
•Diagrams
• Biographies •Handbooks •Posters
• Poems •Flow charts
•Textbooks
• Limericks •Signs
•Guidebooks
•Pie charts
• Letters
Postcards •Forms
• •Recipes •Time-tables
• Telegrams •Menus
• Notes •Advertisements •Telephone
• Newspapers •Travel brochures •Price lists directories
• Magazines •Phrasebook
•Catalogues Tickets
s
•Puzzles Comic strips
•Dictionaries
•Problems Cartoons & caricatures
•Game rules •And…
 There are 2 main reasons for reading
• Reading for pleasure
• Reading for information:
– To find out something
– To do something with the information you get
How do we read – the main ways of reading are:

• Skimming: quickly running one’s eyes over the text

• Scanning: quickly going through a text to find specific
information
• Extensive reading: reading long texts
» Reading for pleasure
• Intensive reading: reading short texts to extract information
» Reading for detail
 Skills involved when reading:
• Recognizing
• Understanding information
• Interpreting
• Transcoding information
• Scanning
• Skimming
• Identifying the main point
 Recap
• What we read?
• Why do we read; Two main reasons for reading
• Skills involved when reading:
– Recognizing
– Understanding information
– Interpreting
– Transcoding information
– Scanning
– Skimming
– Identifying the main point
• What can we do in the classroom to improve reading speed?
• Reading from the picture?
• Reading Exercises
 The how to on skimming,
scanning, and quick reading
 Skimming
• Quickly identify main ideas of a text
• Skimming is 3 to 4 times faster regular reading
• Used when there is a lot of material and a
short amount of time
 How to Skim
• Read the first and last paragraph
• Read headings, subheadings, titles, subtitles,
and illustrations
• Read the first sentence of every paragraph
• Skimming works well with dates, names and
places
 Scanning
• Used to search for key terms
• When you know what you are looking for you
can through texts to find the information
• Good to use when determining whether a
source will have the answers you are looking
for
 How to Scan
• First look at how the author organizes his
information
• Look for bold faces, italics, or different sized
fonts
• The author may also put key information in
the margins of pages
Skimming and scanning are especially valuable when there is
only one item of information that you need to find from a
particular passage.

• Skimming and scanning are very rapid

reading methods in which you glance at a
passage to find specific information. These
reading methods make it easier for you to
grasp large amounts of material, especially
when you're previewing. They are also useful
when you don't need to know every word.
Skimming refers to the process of reading only main
ideas within a passage to get an overall impression of
the content of a reading selection. An example of this is
when we read the title of a newspaper to know what
happens everyday.
How to skim:

1.Read the title.

2.Read the introduction or the first paragraph.
3.Read the first sentence of every other
paragraph.
4.Notice any pictures, charts, or graphs. *
Notice any italic or boldface words or
phrases.
5.Read the summary or last paragraph.
Scanning is a reading technique to be used when you want
to find specific information quickly. In scanning you have a
question in your mind and you read a passage only to find
the answer, ignoring unrelated information.

How to scan:

1. State the specific information you are looking for.

2. Try to anticipate how the answer will appear and what clues
you might use to help you locate the answer. For example, if
you were looking for a certain date, you would quickly read
the paragraph looking only for numbers.
3. Use headings and any other aids that will help you identify
which sections might contain the information you are
looking for.
4. Selectively read and skip through sections of the passage.
 Quick reading tips
• 1. Prepare yourself
– Set the time length that you will read for
– Collect all your materials
– Find a comfortable place to read
– Relax and focus on what you need to accomplish
 Quick reading tips
• 2. Overview
– Look at titles, subtitles, and headings to find what
information is there
– Look at charts and pictures and relate them to
subtitles
– Ask what you are going to get from the reading
 Quick Reading tips
• 3. Read During Daylight Hours
– Studies show people are most efficient readers
during the day time
– A person will read a passage in half the time if
they read in the daylight
– Read during breaks in you day to allot for
relaxation during the night when you need rest
 Quick Reading Tips
• 4. Avoid Distractions
– Keep a notebook near you to write down things
that come to mind (other assignments, people to
call, etc) so you can them later
– Read in place where there is nothing to distract
you
– Turn off TV, music, facebook, and anything else
that will break your concentration
 Quick Reading Tips
• 5. Take a Break
– Studies show that reading becomes less efficient if
you do not take a break to refresh your mind
– A 5 minute break is recommended for every hour
of reading
– Do something well defined so it does not drag on
and you do not become distracted
 Quick Reading Tips
• 6. Read Often
– Reading often helps build your reading skills
– Reading at the same time everyday turns reading
into a habit
– You paid for your textbooks so you might as well
read them
 Skim and Scan this special note in 30 seconds
Special Note:
• When you skim and scan, you need to cover everything, even
titles, subtitles, side features, and visuals. That bit of
information you need may not be tidily packaged in a
paragraph, so you need to check the entire page--not just the
main body of the text, there are also many visual clues that
help you to find information. Heads and subheads break up the
text and identify the content of each part. Where key terms
are introduced and defined, they appear in boldface type.
Graphs and charts have titles and/or captions that tell you
what they are about. These clues will help you to find
information. . . but only if you use them.
1. Cover everything
2. Check entire page
3. Visual clues
4. Graphs, charts have titles/captions
 SW: Skim and Scan the text:
A newly published report indicates that jogging could
have adverse health effects, especially for those who do it
alone. A team of researchers from Harvard University has
suggested that going for a run on your own is not as healthy as
previously believed and is nowhere near as beneficial as jogging
as part of a group. They suggested it could actually be
detrimental to one’s health. Experiments conducted on rats
indicated that running alone raises stress levels and stifles brain
cell regeneration. Professor Elizabeth Gould, who led the
research, said: “These results suggest that, in the absence of
social interaction, a normally beneficial experience can exert a
potentially deleterious influence on the brain.”
• The researchers monitored two groups of rats on exercise
wheels. One group exercised alone, the other as part of a
rodent jogging team. After two weeks, the scientists
conducted tests to ascertain the rate of brain cell growth
in all of the test animals. The results revealed that the
communal joggers had double the amount of new brain
cells as the solo runners. Professor Gould concluded that:
“When experienced in a group setting, running stimulates
neurogenesis (brain cell growth). However, when running
occurs in social isolation, these positive effects are
suppressed.” Joggers around the world should perhaps
take the research with a pinch of salt and remember that
jogging is healthier than the rat race.
 Part 1: Skimming
1. Answer the following questions using your own words but
taking into account the information in the text
a. According to the text, is jogging alone beneficial for our health?
Why?
b. Has this piece of research been tested on humans?
2. Choose a, b or c in each question below. Only one choice is
correct.
i. Some Harvard researchers claim that jogging alone
a. is not healthy.
b. is as healthy as it was thought.
c. is not as healthy as it was thought.
ii. Jogging alone..
a. increases the production of brain cells.
b. increases the size of the brain. c. reduces the production of brain cells.
 Part 2: Scanning
Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Identify the part of the text
that supports your answer.
a. Jogging with rats stimulates the brain cell production: ________
Evidence:

b. Jogging rats produce more brain cells if they do it in group: ________

Evidence:

Answer the following qubestions:

c. What does professor Gould says about the results of this experiment?
d. What were her conclusions?
Let us test your reading
speed!
 Main Idea
• The main idea is the “big point” or the most
important idea that the writer is communicating to
the reader.
• Often the reader can find the main idea just by
looking at the title.
• For example, a passage titled: “Why Students
Should Have Less Homework” will include reasons
for that idea.
 What’s the Point?
• Read this short paragraph:
Engineers create wealth for society. So,
tennis is a game and the resources of
the earth are rare. Have you gone
mad? Thus the only solution is to
educate the public on being socially
responsible.

DID THIS MAKE SENSE?????

 OF COURSE NOT!!!
• It did not have a MAIN IDEA!
• We would go crazy if texts were written
like this all the time.
• It was difficult to understand because it
was made of different ideas that did not
link. There was no common thread.
• The good news is that normal passages
have main ideas!
 Main Idea
• Main Idea - is like the heart of the text or
a paragraph.
• It is the controlling idea.
• All the other supporting details in the
text or within a paragraph should tell us
more about the main idea.
Ask Yourself….
WHO or WHAT
is this passage
about?
 The Topic Sentence
• Many paragraphs have topic sentences that
indicate the main idea.
• Find the topic sentence in this paragraph:

Homeless people have many problems. In winter,

it’s hard to stay warm and it gets too hot in
summer. It’s also hard to keep things safe without
a home. Worst is the lack of privacy.
 Supporting Details
• Supporting details prove the value of the
main idea. What are they here?
Homeless people have many problems. In
winter, it’s hard to stay warm and it gets too
hot in summer. It’s also hard to keep things
safe without a home. Worst is the lack of
privacy.
 Stated and Implied Main Idea…
• Sometimes, a paragraph has a stated main idea
usually in the topic sentence. This means the
paragraph “says” what the main idea is.
• Sometimes, a paragraph doesn’t have a stated
main idea, but has an “implied” main idea.
• This means that you need to state the main idea in
your own words because it doesn’t actually “say” it in
the paragraph. Let’s take a look at two examples…
“The students had fun on their field trip. They
Visited the Marine Museum. They were able
to tour a tug boat and they bought souvenirs
in the gift Shop. After the tours they ate a
picnic lunch in the park and played with their
friends.”

The underlined portion of the sentence is the

main idea and is stated for the reader.
“The Native Americans used the trees to build their
houses. They hunted and trapped animals in the
forest for food. They found roots and berries that
they could eat. Some plants found in the forest
were used for medicine.”

In this paragraph, the main idea isn’t stated.

However, by reading the paragraph, the reader
can determine the main idea:
– Native Americans used resources in the forest
to survive.
 Too much information…
• All of the sentences in a paragraph should
support the main idea of that paragraph.
• Information that does not support the main
idea does not belong in the same paragraph.
• Take a look at the example on the next slide.
Find the “extra” information that does not
support the main idea…
“Maria offered to help her mother clean the
house. She vacuumed the living room and
dusted the furniture. She picked up the toys
in the playroom. She ate a ham sandwich for
lunch. Then, she mopped the kitchen floor.”

Which sentence does not support

the main idea?
 Find the sentence that does not
support the main idea…
“Winter provides the opportunity for many
outdoor activities. Many people enjoy ice
skating on a pond. Swimming in the pond in
summer can also be fun. Skiing can be a
thrilling experience too. After a new snowfall,
you can even build a snowman!”
You try it…
“The rain forest is home to many creatures.
Monkeys, toucans and macaws live in the rain forest.
Butterflies and anteaters also live in the rain forest.”

What is the main idea?

A) Sloths and tapirs are other creatures that live in the rain forest.
B) The rain forest is home to many creatures.
C) Monkeys, toucans and macaws live in the rain forest.
Try another…
“Soccer players learn many skills when playing
soccer. Soccer players learn how to dribble and pass
the ball. They also learn how to control the ball so
they can eventually score. Most importantly, soccer
players learn how to work together with their
teammates.”

What is the main idea?

A) They also learn how to control the ball so they can eventually score.
B) Soccer players learn how to dribble.
C) Soccer players learn many skills when playing soccer.
Let’s do one more…
“Swimming is one thing that can be done at the
beach. Snorkeling is another thing that can be
enjoyed. Playing beach volleyball can be a lot of
fun. It is also fun to look for shells. Some people
simply like to sunbathe.”

What is the implied main idea?

Now…Write your own paragraph about a topic that

interests you. Underline the main idea sentence. If
you have extra time, add an illustration.