Skimming and Scanning
Skimming
Learners read for the general content of a text. An example of skimming in real life is when we look through an article to get a general idea of what is said about, before reading in detail.
Example in the class
1 .Students are given a newspaper article to read.
1. They have to answer the following questions.
It is a story about
a. a crime b. a rescue c. an accident?
Is it a story about
a. a lot of people b. a lot of animals c. one person
Always give a time limit for skimming exercises, to ensure that the students do not try to read the passage word for word.
Scanning learners search a text quickly for specific information
An example of scanning in real life is looking quickly through the headlines of newspaper for articles of interest.
A typical exercise in class:
1. Students are given a story about celebrity
2. First they read ten questions such as:
What is the name of the celebrity?
Where was he?
Who did he talk to?
2. Then they look quickly at the text to find the answer.
Always give a time limit for scanning activities to ensure that the students do not try to read the text word by word.
Exercises
Look at the following table and then read the next part of today’s article to complete it.
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The Ultra Project i
Country:
City:
Year: (Ultra project is planning to begin)
Service:
Number of Pods:
Maximum speed of pods:
Energy source used to fuel pods:
Weather conditions that cannot damage the pods:
Other factor that cannot damage the pods:
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Part 2
1.The first stage of the ultra project will have 1. Resistant to Vandalism, snow, rain, ice and the
30 pods circling the Cardiff Bay area in Wales vehicles will be designed to stop automatically
by 2004 if all goes according to plan, Treychenne if they sense an object in their path.
said. Next, the pods would move to the centre
of the Welsh capital.
2.At a maximum of 25kmph, ultra may not reach 2. Words:
cosmic speeds but should still speed past Cosmic speeds- the speed of space travel.
cars and buses stuck in traffic. Battery powered---an item that uses a piece
of equipment that produces electricity
which gives it power.
3.The battery powered pods will operate on a single 3. Vandalism- to damage or destroy
five foot track-less than half the width of a sing lane especially public property.
of road--- and recharge at every stop to keep their
energy levels topped up.
