📖 What is Skimming?
Skimming is a rapid reading technique where you quickly read through a text to understand the main idea and general topic, without focusing on specific details. Think of it as getting the "big picture" of what the text is about.
🔍 What does Skimming involve?
- Reading the first and last sentences of paragraphs
- Looking for topic sentences and key phrases
- Ignoring details, examples, and supporting information
- Focusing on the overall structure and main ideas
⚡ Why use Skimming?
- Time management: Quickly understand passages in IELTS Reading
- Question strategy: Helps answer "main idea" and "topic" questions
- Text overview: Gives you a roadmap before detailed reading
- Efficiency: Saves time for harder questions
🎯 How to Skim Effectively:
- Read the title and subtitle first - They usually indicate the main topic
- Read the first paragraph quickly - Often contains the main idea
- Read the first sentence of each body paragraph - Usually topic sentences
- Read the last paragraph - Often contains conclusions or summaries
- Look for repeated key words - These indicate important concepts
Skimming in Action:
"Urban gardening has become increasingly popular in cities worldwide as people seek to grow fresh produce in limited spaces. Vertical gardens, rooftop farms, and community plots allow urban dwellers to cultivate vegetables, herbs, and flowers while reducing their environmental footprint and improving food security."
When skimming, you'd identify:
- Main topic: Urban gardening
- Key concept: Growing plants in cities
- General focus: Popularity and benefits
Pro Tip: Don't read every word when skimming! Your eyes should move quickly across the text, picking up key information without getting stuck on details.
🔍 What is Scanning?
Scanning is a reading technique where you search for specific information by moving your eyes rapidly over the text until you find exactly what you're looking for. It's like using "Ctrl+F" with your eyes!
🎯 What does Scanning involve?
- Looking for specific words, numbers, names, or dates
- Moving your eyes quickly without reading full sentences
- Stopping only when you find the target information
- Ignoring everything except your search target
⚡ Why use Scanning?
- Specific details: Perfect for finding exact information quickly
- IELTS efficiency: Essential for True/False/Not Given questions
- Fact-finding: Locate names, numbers, dates, and specific details
- Time-saving: Much faster than reading the entire text
🎯 How to Scan Effectively:
- Identify your target - Know exactly what information you're looking for
- Use keywords from the question - Look for these exact words or synonyms
- Move your eyes in a pattern - Use Z-pattern or column scanning
- Don't read full sentences - Only focus on your target information
- Stop when found - Read around the target for context
Scanning in Action:
"Urban gardening has become increasingly popular in cities worldwide as people seek to grow fresh produce in limited spaces. Vertical gardens, rooftop farms, and community plots allow urban dwellers to cultivate vegetables, herbs, and flowers while reducing their environmental footprint and improving food security."
If scanning for "types of urban gardens":
- Your eyes would quickly find: "Vertical gardens, rooftop farms, and community plots"
- You'd ignore other information about popularity, benefits, etc.
- You'd stop once you found the complete list
Pro Tip: Before scanning, always read the question carefully to identify keywords. Look for both the exact words and possible synonyms in the text.
🎯 Practice Exercises
Apply your skimming and scanning skills with these questions!
"Urban gardening has become increasingly popular in cities worldwide as people seek to grow fresh produce in limited spaces. These innovative growing methods include vertical gardens that maximize space by growing upward, rooftop farms that utilize unused building tops, and community plots that bring neighbors together. The practice offers numerous benefits: reduced environmental impact through decreased food transportation, improved food security by providing local access to fresh produce, and enhanced community connections. Studies show that urban gardens can reduce a household's grocery bill by up to 30% while providing exercise and stress relief for participants."
Skimming
Question 1: 30 seconds
What is the main focus of this passage?
Scanning
Question 2: 20 seconds
By what percentage can urban gardens reduce grocery bills?
Scanning
Question 3: 25 seconds
Which three types of urban growing methods are mentioned?