Reading: Skimming (Reading for Gist): A2 Lesson 2: Identifying if a Short Text is a Story, an Invitation, or an Email

Reading: Skimming (Reading for Gist)

A2 Lesson 2: Identifying Text Type (Story, Invitation, or Email)

Listen to the examples in this lesson.

What you will learn: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to skim (read quickly) a short text and identify its gist (main idea) as a story, an invitation, or an email.

Before You Read 🧠

Key Vocabulary (Click 🔊)

Let's learn these important words for today's lesson.

To Skim

| អាន훑ាត

To read something quickly to find the main idea.

Gist

| ខ្លឹមសារ, គំនិតចម្បង

The main subject or point of a text; the main idea.

Invitation

| ការអញ្ជើញ

A request for someone to come to an event (like a party or wedding).

Email

| អ៊ីមែល

A message sent by computer.

How to Skim: Look for Clues! 🔎

When we skim, we don't read every word. We look for clues, like a detective. Different types of text have different clues.

How to Spot a STORY 📖

Stories tell about events. Look for:

• Names of people (e.g., Dara, Vanna)
• Past tense verbs (e.g., walked, said, was)
• Time words (e.g., Yesterday, Once upon a time)
• Feeling words (e.g., happy, sad, angry)

How to Spot an INVITATION 🎉

Invitations ask you to come somewhere. Look for:

• Event words (e.g., Party, Wedding, Birthday)
• A Date (e.g., November 10th)
• A Time (e.g., 7:00 PM)
• A Place (e.g., at my house, Dara's Cafe)
• RSVP or Contact info

How to Spot an EMAIL 📧

Emails are messages for work or friends. Look for:

• To: (Who receives it)
• From: (Who sent it)
• Subject: (The main topic)
• Greetings (e.g., Dear Sothea,)
• Closings (e.g., Best regards,)

Practice What You Learned 🎯

Practice Quiz: What's the Gist?

Skim (read quickly) each text below. Don't worry about every word. Just find the clues and choose the correct text type. Click "Check Answers" when you're done.

Text 1:

To: sreyneang@email.com From: vichea@email.com Subject: My Birthday! Hi Sreyneang, Please come to my birthday party! When: This Saturday, November 10th, at 7 PM. Where: My house, #15, St 51. Please let me know if you can come! -Vichea

What is the gist (main idea) of this text?

• A) It's a story.
• B) It's an invitation.
• C) It's an email.

Text 2:

Once upon a time, a small rabbit lived in a big forest. He was not happy. He wanted to find the magic river. He walked for three days. Finally, on the fourth day, he saw a beautiful, shining river. He was very happy.

What is the gist (main idea) of this text?

• A) It's a story.
• B) It's an invitation.
• C) It's an email.

Text 3:

Subject: Meeting Canceled Dear Team, The meeting for tomorrow (Oct 27) is canceled. We will meet next week instead. I will send a new time soon. Best, Dara

What is the gist (main idea) of this text?

• A) It's a story.
• B) It's an invitation.
• C) It's an email.

Key Vocabulary Reference (Click 🔊)

• To Skim | អាន훑ាត
  To read something quickly to find the main idea.
• Gist | ខ្លឹមសារ, គំនិតចម្បង
  The main subject or point of a text; the main idea.
• Story | រឿង
  A text that tells about events, often with characters.
• Invitation | ការអញ្ជើញ
  A request for someone to come to an event (like a party or wedding).
• Email | អ៊ីមែល
  A message sent by computer, often with "To:", "From:", and "Subject:".

Your Reading Mission ⭐

Become a Text Detective!

This week, your mission is to find examples of these texts in the real world.

1. Find one email in your inbox. What is the "Subject:"?
2. Find one invitation (on Facebook, in a message, etc.). What is the event for (e.g., party, meeting)?
3. Find one short story (maybe a simple news post or a post from a friend). What happened first?

Practice skimming them quickly to find only the main idea!