6 Reading Skills in a Textbook
Reading Skills Information
Scanning:
SCANNING rapidly covers a great deal of material in order to locate a specific fact or piece of information.
Scanning is very useful for finding a specific name, date, statistic, or fact without reading the entire article. Keep in mind at all times what it is you are searching for. Let your eyes run rapidly over several lines of print at a time.
Click the link below to practice scanning:
Surveying:
Pre-Reading starts with a survey of the reading assignment. Here are five ways to survey a reading ahead of time:
- Read the titles and subtitles of the chapter or reading.
- Look closely at the pictures, graphs, and captions in the assigned reading.
- Note the bold and italicized words
- Note words that are repeated often.
- Read the first and last sentence of each paragraph.
(Links to an external site.)
Click on the link below to practice surveying a text:
Using Titles/Headings/Subheadings:
Click on link below to practice using titles in reading:
Skimming is getting the essence from reading material without reading all the words — boils down to knowing what parts to read and what parts to pass by. Following are some tips and techniques for recognizing what is important to read in the act of skimming.
Step 1
Look at the title, subheadings, pictures, diagrams and whatever else stands out on the page. Turn the subheadings into questions in your mind. For example, if the subheading states “Bleeding Kansas,” ask yourself, “What is bleeding Kansas?” Then, read to find the answer. This method helps you to identify the important information on the page.
Step 2
Read the first and last paragraphs of the chapter in full. These paragraphs introduce and wrap up the chapter, and because of this they often contain key information that can be important to remember.
Step 3
Read the first sentence of each paragraph. Try to restate what you read in your own words. You can either write it down or say it out loud. This reiteration will implant the subject material you are skimming in your head.
Read words, sentences or phrases in bold or italic type. These words and terms usually are important to understand and remember.
Step 5
Try to read the text quickly, but pay attention to what you pick up in the process. Focus on the nouns and verbs. These are considered key words and will help you in getting a general sense of what the author is discussing.
Click on the link below to practice skimming a text:
