Reading: Skimming and Scanning: B1 Lesson 1: Quickly Identifying Main Ideas and Relevant Sections in Longer Texts
CEFR Level: B1 (Intermediate)
Target Reading Sub-skill: Skimming and Scanning
Specific Focus: Quickly Identifying Main Ideas and Relevant Sections in Longer Texts (e.g., articles, blog posts)
What You Will Learn
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Understand how to skim a longer text (like an article or blog post) to find its main idea.
- Understand how to scan a longer text to find relevant sections that answer specific questions.
- Use titles, headings, and first/last sentences of paragraphs as clues.
- Practice these skills with short articles and blog posts.
Hello Cambodian Learners!
When you read longer texts in English, like news articles about Cambodia or blog posts about travel, you don't always need to read every single word slowly at first. Good readers use two important skills: skimming to get the general idea, and scanning to find specific information quickly. These skills will help you read more efficiently and save time!
Skimming for Main Ideas, Scanning for Sections
Skimming: Quickly reading a text to understand its general topic or main idea.
- Read the title and any headings.
- Read the first and last sentence of each paragraph.
- Look for repeated words or ideas.
Scanning: Quickly looking through a text to find specific information (like a name, date, or answer to a question) or a relevant section.
- Know what you are looking for (keywords).
- Move your eyes quickly down the page.
- Look for your keywords or related ideas.
- Use headings and subheadings to guide you to the right section.
Example: Click the article title to hear it (if text-to-speech is available for larger chunks).
A Visit to a Floating Village
Skimming Question: What is the main topic of this text?
Answer: A trip to a floating village called Kampong Phluk.
Scanning Question: Which paragraph talks about what the writer saw in the village (people fishing, children playing)?
Answer: The second paragraph.
Practice Time!
Activity 1: Find the Main Idea of the Article
Quickly skim the article below. Then choose the best main idea.
Activity 2: Scan for Relevant Sections
Read the questions. Then, scan the article provided in Activity 1 (or a new one) to find which paragraph likely contains the answer. Click the paragraph number.
Quick Quiz!
Great Job!
You are learning how to skim for main ideas and scan for specific sections in longer texts! These are powerful strategies to help you read more effectively and efficiently.