READING STRATEGIES
Skimming and
What is skimming?
Skimming is a reading technique that can help
you to:
read more quickly
decide if the text is interesting and whether you
should read it in more detail
Skimming is a fast reading technique. Use it to
obtain the gist of a piece of text (i.e. to quickly
identify the main ideas in the text).
How is 'skimming' different from 'scanning'?
The term skimming is often confused with
scanning. Remember:
Skimming is used, for example, to get the gist of
a page of a textbook to decide whether it is useful
and should therefore be read more slowly and in
more detail.
Scanning is used to obtain specific information
from a piece of text and can be used, for example,
to find a particular number in a telephone directory.
Sometimes you can use both reading methods.
After you have skimmed a piece of text to
decide whether the text is of interest, you may
wish to use scanning techniques to locate
specific information.
How to skim:
Read the title, subtitles and subheadings
to find out what the text is about.
Look at the illustrations to give you
further information about the topic.
Read the first and last sentence of each
paragraph.
Don't read every word or every
sentence.
What is scanning?
Scanning is a fast reading technique. It's a way of
reading to look for specific information in a text.
Scanning can be used to read through the ads in a
newspaper, or for browsing TV schedules, timetables,
lists, catalogues or web pages for information. For
these tasks you don't need to read or understand every
word.
Scanning is also useful when studying or looking to find
specific information from a book or article quickly as
there is not always time to read every word.
How to scan:
Don't try to read every word. Instead let your eyes
move quickly across the page until you find what you
are looking for.
Use clues on the page, such as headings and titles,
to help you.
If you are reading for study, start by thinking up or
writing down some questions that you want to
answer. Doing this can focus your mind and help
you find the facts or information that you need
more easily.
Finding the Main Idea In
Non-Fiction Passages
“How to Read Smarter”
EQ: How do I identify stated or implied
main ideas in non-fiction texts?
EQ: How do I identify stated or
supporting details ideas in non-fiction
texts?
Main Idea is:
The Big point writer is
communicating
Often main idea in the title
For example: “Why Doctors Deserve
More Dollars” will include reasons for
that idea
Main Idea:
Main idea is like a roof.
Big enough to include
everything in the text.
Not too big of an idea for
the text.
Main Idea ma
Main Idea - is like the heart
of the text or a paragraph.
All supporting details in the text
should tell us more about the main
idea.
General Versus Specific
Main idea = general
Supporting ideas = specific
Which word is the most
general:
Potato or Vegetable?
Fresh Foods General
Vegetables Fruit General
Carrots Bananas
Corn Apples
Broccoli Strawberries
Specific
Green Beans Peaches
Cherries
What is the topic?
General subject of the text
To find the topic, just ask yourself:
“Who or what is this passage
about?”
Can be expressed in a word or a
phrase.
Example: Fluency story you are WHO?
reading - what is the topic?
The Topic Sentence
Topic sentence indicates what it’s about
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.
The Topic Sentence
Topic sentence indicates what it’s about
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
The details of the main idea tell us:
Who
What
When
Where
Why
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.
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.
Get the Point?
Read this short paragraph:
Engineers create wealth for
society. So, tennis is a game
and the resources of the earth
are scarce. Have you gone
mad? Thus the only solution is
to educate the public on being
socially responsible.
Get the Point?
Crazy!!!!
Why was it difficult to understand?
Different ideas that did not link. There
was no common thread.
The good news is that normal
passages have main ideas!
Summarize
Main Idea
The big idea or common thread that
holds things together
General ideas
Not a detail
Not specific
Summarize
Supporting Details
Common facts that help us explain
the main idea
Specific items
All point to one main idea
Summarize
Supporting Detail
+ Supporting Detail
+ Supporting Detail
+ Supporting Detail
= Main Idea
