3. Introduction
What is Skimming?
– A way to get the overall idea of a reading
*Not Scanning*
Good for quickly finding main points in:
Lots of Text
Exam Questions
Time-sensitive Readings
4. Skimming
• How to Look and Where to Look
- Why Skim?
- How to Skim
- Where to Skim
- Improving Your Skimming
5. Skimming
• Why do we need Skimming Skills?
– To quickly find important key terms and information
– When you do not have much time
• We need Skimming Skills for these types of questions:
– What is the main idea of the passage?
– Which of the following is the best summary of paragraph 3?
– What was the author’s intent in the final paragraph?
6. How to Skim
KEEP YOUR EYES MOVING!
– Important Ideas
– Sentence Construction
– Main Points
KEEP YOUR EYES MOVING!
– Test Questions
KEEP YOUR EYES MOVING!
– Elements of English (grammar, vocabulary)
7. How to Skim
*Read all of them in under 30 Seconds*
1. A Chinese woman studying business law in Japan has a question about
studying a different kind of law. Wang Yuxian says she is a Christian and would
like to know about theological seminary programs for foreign students in the
United States.
2. A theological seminary is a graduate school of religion and a professional
school for training religious leaders. It is also sometimes called a divinity school.
Usually, such schools prepare students for ordination as clergy or for other
ministry.
3. Foreign students who want to study at a seminary in the United States apply
just as they would to any other graduate school.
8. Where to Skim
• Introductory Paragraphs
– Key to skimming
– Include thesis statements
– Include main topic of passage
– Look for important skimming information here!
9. Where to Skim
• Topic Sentences
– Important for effective skimming
– Usually the first or last sentence
– Indicate main ideas and topics
– Watch out for "But"!
• Sign that new idea or topic is being presented
10. Improving Your Skimming
• Use Your Own Knowledge
– Good skimming = Using your own knowledge
Not just words from the passage!
• You need Background Knowledge
• Best way to get it?
– Read and know about a wide range of topics
• Makes it easier to understand passages
• Can grasp ideas in less time
To be a good skimmer, it is also important to use your own knowledge, not just knowledge from the passage. To read and understand passages, you need to have some background knowledge. The most effective way to get this knowledge is to learn about as wide a range of topics as possible. When you have this knowledge, it makes it easier to understand what a passage is about, which makes understanding the overall point of the reading easier and faster.
