SCANNING FOR DEFINITIONS OF KEY TERMS
Scanning is a skill that allows for students to search for key words/concepts/ideas. More often than not, the student knows exactly what he/she is looking for. So the assigned task is finding out specific information, such as finding the name of an individual in a telephone directory or looking for a word in a dictionary.
Scanning is a method of selective reading, when searching for a particular fact or answer to a question. Scanning can best be described as a looking rather than a reading process.
How Do I Use Scanning?
1. State in your mind specifically the information for which you are looking. Phrase it in question form, If possible.
2. Try to anticipate how the answer will appear and what clues you might use to help you locate the answer.
3. Determine the organization of the material; it is your most important clue to where to begin looking for information. Especially when looking up information contained in charts and tables, the organization of the information is crucial to rapid scanning.
4. Use headings and any other aids that will help you identify which sections might contain the information for which you are looking.
5. Selectively read and skip through likely sections of the passage, keeping in mind the specific question you formed and your expectations of how the answer might appea.
6. Move your eyes down the page in a systematic way.
7. When you have found the needed information, carefully read the sentences in which it appears in order to confirm that you have located the correct information.