Skimming and Scanning

Two speedy reading skills

You do not always read every word slowly. Sometimes you read fast. Two fast skills help you: skimming and scanning. 👀🔎

Skimming: get the gist 👀

Skimming means reading quickly to find the main idea. You do not read every word. Instead you read:

• the title and headings
• the first line of each paragraph
• any bold words or pictures

Skimming tells you what a text is about before you read it properly.

Scanning: hunt for one thing 🔎

Scanning means letting your eyes jump down the page to find one key word or fact — like a date, a name, a number or a price. You ignore everything else until you spot it.

See the difference

Read this short text:

Mount Etna is a famous volcano in Italy. It is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. It last erupted in 2023. Visitors come from all over the globe to see it. 🌋

• If you skim, you learn: this is about a volcano called Mount Etna.
• If you scan for the year, your eyes jump straight to 2023.

Same text, two different jobs!

Match the skill to the task

What you want	Skill to use
Decide if a book is about space	Skim 👀
Find one fact in a chapter	Scan 🔎
Preview a chapter quickly	Skim 👀
Find a word in a glossary	Scan 🔎

A handy habit

Smart readers often skim first to get the big picture, then scan to find the exact fact they need. Together they save lots of time. ⚡

Play and practise

Play the matching game to pair each task with skim or scan. Then flip the flashcards to remember how each one works.

Keep going

Try these next:

• Find the big idea: Finding the Main Idea
• Read lists and steps: Reading Instructions and Lists

Now you can read fast and find facts in a flash! 🌟