1. Reading Skill
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PREVIEWING
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2. ?What is previewing
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Previewing is a pre-reading skill by which the reader tries to
gather as much information about the text as he/she can
before reading it. This gathering of information helps the
. reader to have a general picture of the text
"Teaching is fun ." Aziz Salafi King Khalid University, KSA
3. How does it work?
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Before reading, look at the title of the text. Try to find out
what the writer(s) wants to tell you. Look at the photos,
illustrations, and other graphics in a text before you read.
This will give you a visual idea of what the text is about. Also,
read the first sentence or paragraph of a text because the
writer(s) generally states the main idea of the text in the first
sentence or paragraph. Another way to preview is to look at
the structure of the written discourse. The structure of a
.letter is different from that of a newspaper article
"Teaching is fun ." Aziz Salafi King Khalid University, KSA
4. Steps for Applying the Skill
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Read the title. Quite often the main idea of the text is . 1
!summarized right in the title
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5. Steps for Applying the Skill
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2. Read boldface headings and words in boldfaced type. The
headings condense the text content for you into just a few
words and give you an idea where the author is headed.
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6. Steps for Applying the Skill
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3. Look over any graphics. Are there photos, maps or charts?
These graphic aids provide you with a quick look at the text
contents and main purpose.
"Teaching is fun ." Aziz Salafi King Khalid University, KSA
7. Steps for Applying the Skill
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4. Read the first paragraph and/ or the last paragraph. The
first paragraph most often contains the topic and the main
idea. By previewing the first paragraph you will have a pretty
good sense where the author is headed.
"Teaching is fun ." Aziz Salafi King Khalid University, KSA
