Scanning and skimming are important reading skills. Scanning involves selectively reading to quickly locate specific facts or answers. When scanning, the reader should know what information they need before reading. Skimming allows a reader to identify main ideas by rapidly moving their eyes over a text and only reading selected portions. Scanning is used to find specific information efficiently, while skimming helps grasp the general concepts or main points of a document. Both skills involve selective reading to find key details or main ideas without reading every word.

1. READINGREADING SKILLSSKILLS
SCANNING AND SKIMMINGSCANNING AND SKIMMING
SKILLSSKILLS

2. Introduction
• Reading Purposes Information
• There skills include
– skimming for main ideas
– scanning for specific details
– referencing
– note taking/making
– comprehension
– summarizing

3. Scanning

4. • Scanning is a selective reading
process.
• When you scan, you will try to locate
facts quickly and also find answers to
specific questions.
• To scan, you should know what
information you are searching for
even before you start to read.
• To scan quickly, you must only look
for words or information which you
need.

5. How to scan?
• Fix firmly in your mind what you
are looking for
• Find headings or sub headings to
locate facts faster
• Train your eyes to move quickly
over meaningful words or phrases

6. Scanning = Selective
reading
SPECIFIC INFO

7. Skimming
Don’t worry too much about viruses.
You may never see one. There are
just a few ways to become infected.
The common sources seem to be
pirate games and putting floppies in
PCs for public use.
What is the main idea of this excerpt?

8. Skimming

9. • Skimming is the ability to identify
the general ideas by moving your
eyes rapidly over a text.
• You only need to read selected
portions to get the gist (main ideas)
of the text.

10. How to skim?
• Read the title
• Read and locate key or topic
headings words to find the
main ideas

11. Skimming = Reading
text
quickly
MAIN IDEAS