Universitas Pamulang Sastra Inggris

MEETING 3
SCANNING

A. GOALS OF STUDY
At the end of this lesson, students are expected to be able to:
3.1 Get and locate specific information quickly.
3.2 Improve vocabulary by providing additional vocabulary exercises and
tests on words.
3.3 Develop specific reading skills such as skimming, scanning, reading
speed, guessing word meanings from context.
3.4 Reflect on and evaluate reading text, as well as personalize the content.

B. M ATERIAL DESCRIPTION

Goals of study 3.1:

Get and locate specific information quickly

Scanning – Meaning and Definition

a. Scanning is quickly looking for specific keywords or phrases in a piece
of writing.
b. Scanning is a technique to trigger and extract key information and
ideas such as names, numbers, and specific facts. Scanning involves
moving your eyes quickly down the page identifying specific words
and phrases to either find a particular answer or grasping the basic
main idea. You can also use it to determine whether a new resource
will answer your questions or not. This activity probably takes about a
5-10 minutes.
c. Scanning is another useful tool for speeding up your reading. Unlike
skimming, when scanning, you look only for a specific fact or piece of

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information without reading everything. Scanning also allows you to

find details and other information in a hurry.
Why scan?
a. to pick up on detail.
b. to fill in gaps in your knowledge (give depth).

Goals of study 3.2:

Develop specific reading skills

Steps for scanning

a. Look for key words, or words that are repeated.
b. Look for definitions.
c. Look for highlighted words, e.g. words in bold or italic.
d. Look for numbers, e.g. dates and statistics.
e. Look for examples, including diagrams.
How to Scan:
a. State the specific information you are looking for.
b. Try to anticipate how the answer will appear and what clues you might
use to help you locate the answer. For example, if you were looking for
a certain date, you would quickly read the paragraph looking only for
numbers.
c. Use headings and any other aids that will help you identify which
sections might contain the information you are looking for.
d. Selectively read and skip through sections of the passage.

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C. QUESTIONS FOR EXERCISE/ ASSIGNMENTS

Exercise 1: Read the following text quickly and fill in the table. What do
the numbers given in the table refer to?

1%

2%

6%

13%

16%

30%

86%

Spoon-fed feel lost at the cutting edge

Before arriving at university, students will have been powerfully
influenced by their school's approach to learning particular subjects. Yet
this is only rarely taken into account by teachers in higher education,
according to new research carried out at Nottingham University, which
could explain why so many students experience problems making the
transition.

Historian Alan Booth says there is a growing feeling on both sides of the
Atlantic that the shift from school to university-style learning could be
vastly improved. But little consensus exists about who or what is at fault
when the students cannot cope. "School teachers commonly blame the
poor quality of university teaching, citing factors such as large first-year
lectures, the widespread use of inexperienced postgraduate tutors and the
general lack of concern for students in an environment where research is
dominant in career progression," Dr. Booth said.
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Many university tutors on the other hand claim that the school system is
failing to prepare students for what will be expected of them at university.
A-level history in particular is seen to be teacher-dominated, creating a
passive dependency culture.

But while both sides are bent on attacking each other, little is heard during
such exchanges from the students themselves, according to Dr. Booth,
who has devised a questionnaire to test the views of more than 200 first-
year history students at Nottingham over a three-year period. The students
were asked about their experience of how history is taught at the outset of
their degree programme. It quickly became clear that teaching methods in
school were pretty staid.

About 30 per cent of respondents claimed to have made significant use of

primary sources (few felt very confident in handling them) and this had
mostly been in connection with project work. Only 16 per cent had used
video/audio; 2 per cent had experienced field trips and less than 1 per cent
had engaged in role-play.

Dr Booth found students and teachers were frequently restricted by the

assessment style which remains dominated by exams. These put obstacles
in the way of more adventurous teaching and active learning, he said. Of
the students in the survey just 13 per cent felt their A-level course had
prepared them very well for work at university. Three-quarters felt it had
prepared them fairly well.

One typical comment sums up the contrasting approach: "At A-level we

tended to be spoon-fed with dictated notes and if we were told to do any

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background reading (which was rare) we were told exactly which pages to
read out of the book".

To test this further the students were asked how well they were prepared in
specific skills central to degree level history study. The answers reveal that
the students felt most confident at taking notes from lectures and
organizing their notes. They were least able to give an oral presentation
and there was no great confidence in contributing to seminars, knowing
how much to read, using primary sources and searching for texts. Even
reading and taking notes from a book were often problematic. Just 6 per
cent of the sample said they felt competent at writing essays, the staple A-
level assessment activity.

The personal influence of the teacher was paramount. In fact individual

teachers were the centre of students' learning at A-level with some 86 per
cent of respondents reporting that their teachers had been more influential
in their development as historians than the students' own reading and
thinking.

The ideal teacher turned out to be someone who was enthusiastic about the
subject; a good clear communicator who encouraged discussion. The ideal
teacher was able to develop students’ involvement and independence. He
or she was approachable and willing to help. The bad teacher, according to
the survey, dictates notes and allows no room for discussion. He or she
makes students learn strings of facts; appears uninterested in the subject
and fails to listen to other points of view.

No matter how poor the students judged their preparedness for degree-
level study, however, there was a fairly widespread optimism that the

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experience would change them significantly, particularly in terms of their

open mindedness and ability to cope with people.

But it was clear, Dr. Booth said, that the importance attached by many
departments to third-year teaching could be misplaced. "Very often tutors
regard the third year as the crucial time, allowing postgraduates to do a lot
of the earlier teaching. But I am coming to the conclusion that the first
year at university is the critical point of intervention".

Pre-Reading 1: Put a check (√) by the things you prefer to read and
give an example.
1. academic papers
2. advertisements
3. brochures
4. catalogues
5. comics
6. letters/ emails
7. magazines
8. manuals
9. newspapers
10. paperbacks
11. reference books
12. websites
13. graded readers
14. something else – what?

Pre-Reading 2: Decide what kind of reading material you think these

people may be interested in. Then read about them.

1. man, aged 42, IT technician

2. woman, aged 35, housewife
3. man, aged 27, journalist

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4. woman, aged 22, student

5. man, aged 19, student
6. girl, aged 14, student

What’s that you’re reading?

1. I’m crazy about gardening. It helps to relax and

forget about the office. I don’t have a garden, but I
grow plants, and vegetables, too, on our balcony.
Every month I get a gardening magazine that I
have a subscription to. It’s full a practical hints,
topical news, and interesting features. There are
Picture 3.1 articles by famous gardeners who also reply to
Reuben Saltzman
Source Picture:
structuretech1.com
reader’s questions. I spend a lot of time looking up
how to grow things readers’ questions. I spend a
lot of time looking up how to grow things on
different websites, too, and many seed catalogues
are online now.

2. I took up golf a few years ago and now play at

least twice a week. I have a monthly subscription
for a golf magazine that I love reading. There’s
advice on golf fashion and articles about golfing
stars, as well as instruction on how to be a better
player. There are also features on golf courses
Picture 3.2 around the world and tons of advertisements and
Stay-home-mom
Picture Source:
hereandnow.legacy.wbur.org
reviews on the latest equipment. I’m either playing
golf or reading about it!

3. Of course, I have to keep up date with

all the news and views around the world,

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Picture 3.3
Journalist
Picture Source:
buzzle.com
Universitas Pamulang Sastra Inggris

so I spend a lot of time browsing

websites for the latest information. I
also skim the main articles in the
newspapers. I am also teaching myself
French and so have a course book and
dictionary for that. I read French
graded readers too – these are novels
written in simplified French: there’s a
glossary at the back and exercises, too.
They’re really helping me to improve!

4. I have a ton exams coming up so I

spend a lot of time studying for those. I
have to read up on a number of
different subjects and so spend quite a
lot of time in the library. When I’m
bored, I look at various fashion
magazines, although I don’t usually
Picture 3.4
everythreeweekly.com
Picture Source: read the articles. I just like the pictures.
college-senior
If my friends are around, I’ll read out
the horoscopes to see if any of us are
going to meet Mr. Right!

5. I’m addicted to manga! It’s terrible;

I spend a small fortune loads of
manga magazines – I just can’t stop
myself! I love drawing my favorite
characters, too; my notebooks are full
of sketches instead of things my
professors have said! I try to read the

Reading 2 Picture 3.5 Page 25

College Campus
Picture Source:
pinterest.com
Universitas Pamulang Sastra Inggris

books for my course, but I find myself

skipping pages, and it’s difficult to
concentrate. I don’t like reading
things without any pictures.
6. Most of what I read, apart from
schoolbooks of course, are the
emails and text messages from my
friends. We send ourselves tons of
messages. My mom never
understands what my friends are
saying! I also go to a couple of chat
rooms on the internet. The only
other thing I look at is the TV Guide
Picture 3.6
School girl
that I scan to see if my favorite
Picture Source:
Photo.elsoar.com programs are there. If not, I’m back
on the computer again. Maybe that’s
why my spelling is so bad!

Comprehension 1: Decide if the sentences about the people are True

(T) or False (F).

1. They all read magazines.

2. Two of them look at the Internet.
3. Nobody is reading any paperbacks in English.
4. Only one person reads a newspaper.
5. Five of them read something that’s not on the test.
6. The IT technician reads the most different kinds of things.

Comprehension 2: Answer the questions.

1. Which sentence about the technician is correct?

a. He has paid money to receive monthly copies of gardening
magazine.

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b. He sells a gardening magazine is free every month.

c. His gardening magazine is free every month.
2. What does article mean?
a. the, a, or an
b. small objects
c. pieces of writing in a newspaper or magazine
3. Another way of saying to start doing something regularly as a habit is
(p.5)
4. What does features on golf courses mean?
a. free passes to play on a golf course
b. newspaper or magazine articles on golf courses
c. advertisements in a newspaper or magazine for golf courses
5. Which information does the housewife get about the latest golf
equipment?
a. someone’s opinion
b. the history of the product
c. how much it costs to make
6. Which phrase means having the most recent news and information?
(p.3)
7. Why does the student read the horoscopes?
a. to find out which of her male friends are always correct
b. to find out if any of her friends will meet their perfect man
c. to find out if any of her friends will meet a right-handed man
8. Which phrase shows that buying a lot of manga magazines is
expensive? (p.5)
9. What does the student have in her notebook?
a. notes about what his professors have said
b. detailed drawings
c. drawings made very quickly

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Comprehension 3: Find the four verbs in the text; they are all
different ways of reading. Then match a verb with
a definition.
1. look something for
2. browse
3. skim
4. study
a. to read something quickly and not very quickly
b. to spend time learning about a subject by reading
c. to find a piece of information by looking in a book or on a
computer
d. to look at information or pictures in a book without looking for
anything in particular

Now do the same with these.

1. read up on something
2. read something out
3. skip
4. scan
a. to read something quickly to find particular information
b. to intentionally miss pages or paragraphs when reading
c. to get information on a particular subject by reading a lot about it
d. to say the words that you are reading so that people can hear them

Discussion: Which of these opinions do you agree with? Explain why

to another student.
1. Magazines are just for fun: They’re not for serious reading.
2. Comics are for children only.
3. It’s much easier to read real newspapers and magazines rather than on
the internet.
4. Reading paperbacks is boring. I much prefer watching TV.
5. Graded readers are interesting and fun to read.

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D. REFERENCES

Alison Utley, Times Higher Education Supplement.1998.

College Reading and Study Skills and Academic Reading and Study Skills
for International Students

Edward T. 1959. Hall: The Silent Language. Doubleday & Company: New
York.

McAvoy, Jackie. 2009. Essential Reading Student Book 2. Series editor Scott
Miles. UK: Macmillan.

Scanning exercise, viewed 20 December 2016.

http://www.uefap.com/reading/exercise/scan/time.htm.

Scanning strategies, viewed 20 December 2016.

http://www.howtolearn.com/2013/02/skimming-and-scanning-two-
important-strategies-for-speeding-up-your-reading/

Scanning exercise, viewed 20 December 2016.

https://www.stmartin.edu/learningcenter/studyskills/hando.

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