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Reading 2

Skimming is a technique used to quickly identify the main ideas of a text without reading every word. It involves visually scanning sentences and paragraphs at a faster rate than normal reading to get the general sense. Effective skimming strategies include reading titles, subtitles, first and last paragraphs. When skimming it is important to work quickly while keeping the purpose in mind. Identifying the main points of a text involves determining the topic or subject matter, and the key concept or main idea being expressed by the author to support the topic. Details in the text provide supporting information about how, what, when, where, why related to the main idea.

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67 views3 pages

Reading 2

Skimming is a technique used to quickly identify the main ideas of a text without reading every word. It involves visually scanning sentences and paragraphs at a faster rate than normal reading to get the general sense. Effective skimming strategies include reading titles, subtitles, first and last paragraphs. When skimming it is important to work quickly while keeping the purpose in mind. Identifying the main points of a text involves determining the topic or subject matter, and the key concept or main idea being expressed by the author to support the topic. Details in the text provide supporting information about how, what, when, where, why related to the main idea.

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Wahid Pangestu Wijaya 11211141010 Reading II

English Language and Literature

SKIMMING, IDENTIFYING THE MAIN POINTS OR IMPORTANT INFORMATION

A. Skimming
Skimming is used to quickly identify the main ideas of a text. You skim to get the general sense of a passage or a book. When you read the newspaper, you are probably not reading it wordby-word, instead you are scanning the text. Skimming is done at a speed three to four times faster than normal reading. People often skim when they have lots of material to read in a limited amount of time. Use skimming when you want to see if an article may be of interest in your research. Skimming is a process of speed reading that involves visually searching the sentences of a page for clues to meaning. For some people, this comes naturally, and usually may be acquired by practice. Skimming is usually seen more in adults than in children. It is conducted at a higher rate (700 words per minute and above) than normal reading for comprehension (around 200-230 wpm), and results in lower comprehension rates, especially with information-rich reading material. Another form of skimming is that commonly employed by readers on the website. This involves skipping over text that is less interesting or less relevant. This form of reading is not new but has become increasingly prevalent due to the ease with which alternative information can be accessed online. Some of the sentences have minor information that might not be required.

Applying Strategy
There are many strategies that can be used when skimming : Some people read the first and last paragraphs using headings, summarizes and other organizers as they move down the page or screen. You might read the title, subtitles, subheading, and illustrations. Consider reading the first sentence of each paragraph. This technique is useful when you are seeking specific information rather than reading for comprehension. Skimming works well to find dates, names, and places. It might be used to review graphs, tables, and charts. Read the title of the selection carefully ; the title may provide clues which will help you identify the main ideas which are covered. There may be clues words which suggest how the material is arranged.

Check to see if there are italicized words or phrases in the text. Find any lists of points that are set off with numbers or paragraphs that begin with first, second, and so forth ; These points may be the most important part of the selection. Sometimes the same idea is repeated ; if an idea is repeated in a different form, the author may be trying to reinforce the main or important idea.

Guidelines for Effective Skimming


a. Always work as fast as you can. Do not let details slow you down. b. Always keep in mind your reason for skimming. c. Be flexible when you are skimming. How much you skim in a passage depends on your purpose and on the passage.

Skimming Book Reviews


One way to find out about a book is to read a of the book in a newspaper or magazine. Book reviewers usually tell something about the review subject of the book and give their opinion. However, sometimes they do not state their opinion directly. They give some hints about it and let the reader infer it.

B. Identifying the Main Points, or Important Information


Understanding the topic, the gist, or the larger conceptual framework of a textbook chapter , an article, a paragraph, a sentence or a passage is a sophisticated reading task. Being able to draw conclusions, evaluate, and critically interpret articles or chapters is important for overall comprehension in college reading. Textbook chapters, articles, paragraphs, sentences, or passages all have topics and main ideas. The topic is the broad, general theme or message. It is what some call the subject. The main idea is the key concept being expressed. Details, major and minor, support the main idea by telling How, What, When, Where, Why, How much, or How many. Locating the topic, main idea, and supporting details helps you understand the point(s) the writer is attempting to express. Identifying the relationship between these will increase your comprehension. The first thing you must be able to do to get at the main idea of a paragraph is to identify the topic the subject of the paragraph. Think of the paragraph as a wheel with the topic being the hub, the central core around which the whole wheel (or paragraph) spins. Your strategy for topic identification is simply to ask yourself the question, What is this about? Keep asking yourself that question as you read a paragraph, until the answer to your question becomes clear. Sometimes you can spot the topic by looking for a word or two that repeat. Usually you can state the topic in a few words.

When authors write they have an idea in mind that they are trying to get across. This is especially true as authors compose paragraphs. An author organizes each paragraphs main idea and supporting details in support of the topic or central theme, and each paragraph supports the paragraph preceding it. A writer will state his/her main idea explicity somewhere in the paragraph. That main idea may be stated at the beginning of the paragraph, in the middle, or at the end. The sentence in which the main idea is stated is the topic sentence of that paragraph.

Reference http://wikipedia.com www.previewing-and-predicting-skimming-skill/2011/06.html Reading Comprehension Skills/Book/

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