Scanning is a very helpful reading skill to develop in order to find the information which you need quickly without reading the entire text.

1. Reading Skill
Scanning

2. Look quickly at the block of text below.
Find the words Google and infrastructure.
DearmumhowaregoingGooglesenmthliely
mrgfdgfvocinterhjgnalisfghndaslijhdsflijd
sfopkjdsdfltfelltinfrastructurethatwaspeopl
eofaretryingtogivneandtakesentmyfamilyt

3. Questions:
• Why can you see the word Google
easily?
• Can you see the word infrastructure as
easily?
• Why/Why not?
Words which begin with
a capital letter , longer words, and numbers
are easy to spot

4. Scanning
• When you scan a piece of text, you look over it to find one
word or phrase, NOT to understand the whole text.

5. Suggestions
Which of the suggestions a-f do you think are most
helpful for scanning?
a. Look only for specific words or phrases.
b. Look at every word in the text.
c. Try not to think of the meaning in the text.
d. Underline the word when you find it.
e. Use a pencil to guide you.
f. Think of the meaning of the word you are looking
for.



X
X
X

6. The words/phrase below are from the text The Cashless
Society (pg 23).
Scan the text to find the words, then underline them.
(30 secs)
•Safaricom
•Octopus
•installed
•profound
•Infrastructure
•adaptable

7. When you scan for a word or
phrase, avoid looking at other
words.
There are five techniques for doing this.

8. Scanning Techniques
1
Scan from the bottom right of a paragraph to the top left.
Look at either side of the diagonal line.

9. Scanning Techniques
2
Scan vertically from the bottom to the top

10. Scanning Techniques
3
Scan the text in a zigzag from right to left.

11. Scanning Techniques
4
Scan from the bottom. Move right to left, right to left.

12. Scanning Techniques
5
Scan from the bottom right to left, then left to right.

13. Practice
makes
prefect!!