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Welcome to Module 3! I am Teacher Sopheak. When you look at a bus schedule or a tour brochure in Battambang, you do not read it like a novel. You sweep your eyes quickly to find exactly what you need. Real-world reading requires two distinct speed controls: Skimming and Scanning.
1. Skimming: Reading for Gist
Skimming is like flying an airplane over a city. You look at the big picture without stopping at every building. Look strictly at titles, layout shapes, and the very first sentence of a paragraph to determine the text type and main idea instantly.
Does the text have a "To:" and "Subject:" line? It is an email. Does it start with "Once upon a time"? It is a story. You do not need to read the whole text to know its category.
In English, the main idea of a paragraph is almost always located in the very first sentence. Skim the first sentence, then jump to the next paragraph.
2. Scanning: Reading for Specific Data
Scanning is like using a radar to hunt for treasure. Your eyes sweep across the text, completely ignoring normal words, searching exclusively for visual anchors that answer Who, When, Where, or How Much.
Sweep the text for numeric characters. Numbers pop out visually against letters. Use this to locate Times (10:00 AM), Dates (October 15), or Prices ($5.00).
When searching for a person or a city, scan strictly for uppercase letters in the middle of sentences. They anchor proper nouns like "Lisa" or "Krong Battambang".
If you are looking at a tour brochure to find the departure time, do not start reading the history of the company at the top of the page! "Turtle reading" (decoding every single word) destroys your ability to scan efficiently.
Reading Strategy Evaluation
To: booking@soksabike.com
Subject: Tour Confirmation for Oct 15
Hello team,
We are very excited to join your local agriculture tour in Krong Battambang. Please confirm that our tour departs at exactly 7:30 AM. Our guide will be Lisa, correct?
Thank you,
John