Two of the most basic strategies of finding answers or to just find background into a piece of literature, is skimming and scanning.
When we SKIM, we read something quickly to get an overview of what the piece is about, for example, we will skim the newspaper to see the main news of the day; or we will skim through a magazine to see which articles we would like to read. First, see if you can find a title. Sometimes, there isn't one and that's okay. Next, read the introduction or the first paragraph and afterwards, read the first sentence of every other paragraph. As paragraphs are usually grouped with content that contains the same thought, you will easily find what you are looking for. Take notice of any pictures, charts or graphs which will tell you more about what is to come. Look for italic or bold words and phrases - those are usually important. Lastly, read through the summary or last paragraph.
On the other hand, when we SCAN, we don't exercise as much effort as "skimming". We find specific details without reading word for word, for example, we scan a TV schedule to see what there is to watch; or we scan a bus schedule to see the times the bus will depart. After finding what we are looking for, only THEN we start reading the information we need.
If you know the specific information that you are looking for, you can anticipate how the answer will appear and what clues you might use to help you find the answer. For example, if you were looking for a certain date or year, you would quickly scan through the page looking for numbers. Here, you can also use headings and any other aids that will help you identify which sections might contain the information that you require.
Activity for learners:
- Provide learners with a text with different elements and pin-point different information for them to locate by giving them only a set amount of time, like 30 seconds or so, depending on their age.
- Play a game of BINGO and watch in excitement as they skim and scan for words or numbers.
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