English for EAP Practice activities Lesson 2 Reading more efficiently Three types of reading English for Academic Purposes Practice activities Reading more efficiently Lesson 2 Three types of reading 1

Three Types of Reading We read different texts at different times for different purposes. Skimming Scanning Close Reading English for Academic Purposes Practice activities Reading more efficiently Lesson 2 Three types of reading 2

Three types of reading You have looked at the three types of reading on p. 12 English for Academic Purposes Practice activities Reading more efficiently Lesson 2 Three types of reading 3

Three types of reading Now read these three descriptions. Description 1 Skimming: for getting the gist of something This is the technique you use when you read quickly to get the main points, and skip over the detail. It's useful to skim: to preview a passage before you read it in detail the introduction or preface of a book the first or last paragraphs of chapters the concluding chapter of a book. to refresh your understand of a passage after you've read it in detail English for Academic Purposes Practice activities Reading more efficiently Lesson 2 Three types of reading 4

Three types of reading Use skimming when you're trying to decide if a text is right for you. Think of some examples of things you skim: ____ English for Academic Purposes Practice activities Reading more efficiently Lesson 2 Three types of reading 5

Three types of reading ANSWERS Examples of text types: a newspaper or magazine, an academic article, anything which you need to decide whether to read or not. English for Academic Purposes Practice activities Reading more efficiently Lesson 2 Three types of reading 6

Three types of reading Description 2 Scanning for a specific focus You scan when your aim is to find specific pieces of information. If you do research for an oral presentation or exam, you scan the index of books, web sites, and reference materials to discover whether they contain any information you want and the pages where the information can be found. English for Academic Purposes Practice activities Reading more efficiently Lesson 2 Three types of reading 7

Three types of reading Description 2 (Scanning) (continued) You scan when you look for your favorite show listed in the TV guide, for your friend’s phone number in a telephone book, and for the sports scores in the newspaper. You scan to check for useful details and to fill in gaps in your knowledge. It is a useful way of locating answers in reading exams. You can scan the text for words or numbers from the question. English for Academic Purposes Practice activities Reading more efficiently Lesson 2 Three types of reading 8

Three types of reading Description 2 (continued) For scanning to be successful, you need to understand how your material is structured. Alphabetical from A to Z Chronological information is arranged in time or numerical order. Category, listings of similar items as in catalogues. Textual as in an encyclopedia entry or page from a textbook. Keep the concept of key words in mind while scanning. When scanning, it can be useful to use your hand or finger to focus attention and keep your place. English for Academic Purposes Practice activities Reading more efficiently Lesson 2 Three types of reading 9

Three types of reading Steps for scanning. Which one(s) of these do you think is / are not a useful hint on how to scan? Look for key words, or words that are repeated. Look up new words in the dictionary or online. Look for definitions. highlighted Look for highlighted words, e.g. words in bold or italics. Look for numbers, e.g. dates and statistics. Look for examples, including diagrams. English for Academic Purposes Practice activities Reading more efficiently Lesson 2 Three types of reading 10

Three types of reading ANSWERS Two things are not part of scanning. Look for key words, or words that are repeated. Look up new words in the dictionary or online. Look for definitions. Look for highlighted words, e.g. words in bold or italics. Look for numbers, e.g. dates and statistics. Look for examples, including diagrams. English for Academic Purposes Practice activities Reading more efficiently Lesson 2 Three types of reading 11

Three types of reading Description 3 Intensive reading: for extracting information accurately This is the technique you use when you read every word, and work to learn from the text. You may find it helpful to skim first, to get a general idea. Once you have selected useful information, you can begin to read in detail. English for Academic Purposes Practice activities Reading more efficiently Lesson 2 Three types of reading 12

Three types of reading Note taking is very useful to help you get the most of out of a text. How do you take notes? Think of as many things as possible that are useful in taking notes. English for Academic Purposes Practice activities Reading more efficiently Lesson 2 Three types of reading 13

Three types of reading Note-taking for close reading ANSWERS These note-taking techniques provide a useful aid to close reading: underlining and highlighting to pick out what seem to you the most central or important words and phrases. Do this in your own copy of texts or on photocopies - never on borrowed texts; keywords to record the main headings as you read. Use one or two keywords for each main point. Keywords can be used when you don't want to mark the text; questions to encourage you to take an active approach to your reading. Record your questions as you read. They can also be used as prompts for follow up work; summaries to check you have understood what you have read. Pause after a section of text and put what you have read in your own words. Skim over the text to check the accuracy of your summary, filling in any significant gaps. English for Academic Purposes Practice activities Reading more efficiently Lesson 2 Three types of reading 14

Three types of reading Note-taking for close reading These techniques encourage an active engagement with the text as well as providing you with a useful record of your reading. Avoid passively reading large amounts of text, it does not make effective use of your time. Always use a note taking technique to increase your levels of concentration and understanding. English for Academic Purposes Practice activities Reading more efficiently Lesson 2 Three types of reading 15