Chapter 2

• Strategies for Reading


  The different ways in which we achieve our reading objective after coming into contact with a material
• Skimming


  • Reading rapidly in order to get a general overview of the material
  • Tells you what general information is within a section
  • A kind of fast/speed-reading technique used for getting/obtaining the gist or general information in a reading material
  • Aims at understanding or obtaining facts especially when there is not much time to comprehensively read the entire text
• Purposes of Skimming


  • To see what is in the news on a website or on a paper
  • To look through a text to decide whether you want to read it or not
  • To look through the television guide programme schedule to plan your evening
  • To see through a catalogue to choose an offer
  • To go through the options after searching something on internet
• When we can use skimming

  • When we are previewing (reading before we read)
  • When we are reviewing (reading after we have read)
  • When trying to find source material for a research paper
  • To determine the main idea from a long selection we do not wish to read in details
• Skimming can save us hours of reading a very lengthy text
• Skimming is not a reading strategy for all kinds of text
• When you skim, you may miss important points or meanings, for which rapid study reading may be necessary
• Steps to skim


  1. Read the table of contents or chapter overview to learn the main divisions of ideas

  2. Glance through the main headings in each chapter just to see a word or two. Read the headings of charts and tables

  3. Read the entire introductory paragraph and then the first and last sentence only of each following paragraph. For each paragraph, read only the first few words of each sentence or to locate the main idea

  4. When you think you have found something significant, stop to read the entire sentence to see if it is information you may need. Then go on the same way. Resist the temptation to stop to read details you do not need

  5. Read chapter summaries when provided
• The main ideas of paragraphs are not always found in the first or last sentences
• Scanning


  • Reading rapidly in order to find specific facts and to locate a particular fact
  • Uses keywords and organizational cues
  • The goal is to locate particular facts
• Purposes of Scanning


  • To search for a word in a dictionary or index
  • To find a phone number or an address in a directory
  • To check the alas schedule of a program in an agenda
  • To check the price of a specific item in a catalogue
  • To know a particular information form a
• Steps to Scan


  1. Know what you are looking for. Decide on a few key words or phrases-search terms, if you will

  2. Look for only one keyword at a time. If you use multiple keywords, do multiple scans

  3. Lat year eps glance rapidly down the page until you fod the word or please you wa

  4. When your eye catches one of your keywords, read the sending masal carefully
• Scanning requires concentration and can be tiring
• Skimming and scanning are two very different strategies for speed reading, used for different purposes and requiring different reading skills
• Skimming and scanning are very significant to go about reading comprehension