English Second Language·Reading skills · NSSCO 4.1
Reading strategies: skimming, scanning & predicting
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In your English reading paper you don't read every word slowly like a bedtime story — you use the right reading skill for each job. In this lesson Miss Veronica teaches you to preview and predict before you read, to skim for the main idea, to scan for a single detail, and to read closely for the exact answer. We practise every skill on one short Namibian passage, then learn the order to use them in the exam.
What you'll learn in this lesson
By the end you should be able to (NSSCO English Second Language 4.1):
- Preview a text by looking at the title, headings, pictures and captions before reading
- Predict what a text will be about from its title and topic, then confirm or adjust while reading
- Skim a text to work out the general idea or main point without reading every word
- Scan a text to find a specific detail quickly, such as a name, a date or a number
- Read closely for detail to give an exact answer to a question
- Use context clues to work out the meaning of an unknown word
- Use fix-up strategies (reread, read on, self-question, summarise) when meaning breaks down
- Choose and order the right reading strategies to answer questions in the exam
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