SKIMMING & SCANNING-PART-2

SKIMMING & SCANNING

Skimming and scanning are reading techniques that use rapid eye movement and keywords to move quickly through text for slightly different purposes. Skimming is reading rapidly in order to get a general overview of the material. Scanning is reading rapidly in order to find specific facts. While skimming tells you what general information is within a section, scanning helps you locate a particular fact. Skimming is like snorkeling, and scanning is more like pearl diving.

Use skimming in previewing (reading before you read), reviewing (reading after you read), determining the main idea from a long selection you don't wish to read, or when trying to find source material for a research paper.

Use scanning in research to find particular facts, to study fact-heavy topics, and to answer questions requiring factual support.

Skimming to save time
Skimming can save you hours of laborious reading. However, it is not always the most appropriate way to read. It is very useful as a preview to a more detailed reading or when reviewing a selection heavy in content. But when you skim, you may miss important points or overlook the finer shadings of meaning, for which rapid reading or perhaps even study reading may be necessary.

Use skimming to overview your textbook chapters or to review for a test. Use skimming to decide if you need to read something at all, for example during the preliminary research for a paper. Skimming can tell you enough about the general idea and tone of the material, as well as its gross similarity or difference from other sources, to know if you need to read it at all.

To skim, prepare yourself to move rapidly through the pages. You will not read every word; you will pay special attention to typographical cues-headings, boldface and italic type, indenting, bulleted and numbered lists. You will be alert for key words and phrases, the names of people and places, dates, nouns, and unfamiliar words. In general follow these steps:

1.     Read the table of contents or chapter overview to learn the main divisions of ideas.

2.     Glance through the main headings in each chapter just to see a word or two. Read the headings of charts and tables.

3.     Read the entire introductory paragraph and then the first and last sentence only of each following paragraph. For each paragraph, read only the first few words of each sentence or to locate the main idea.

4.     Stop and quickly read the sentences containing keywords indicated in boldface or italics.

5.     When you think you have found something significant, stop to read the entire sentence to make sure. Then go on the same way. Resist the temptation to stop to read details you don't need.

6.     Read chapter summaries when provided.

If you cannot complete all the steps above, compromise: read only the chapter overviews and summaries, for example, or the summaries and all the boldfaced keywords. When you skim, you take a calculated risk that you may miss something. For instance, the main ideas of paragraphs are not always found in the first or last sentences (although in many textbooks they are). Ideas you miss you may pick up in a chapter overview or summary.

Good skimmers do not skim everything at the same rate or give equal attention to everything. While skimming is always faster than your normal reading speed, you should slow down in the following situations:

·         When you skim introductory and concluding paragraphs

·         When you skim topic sentences

·         When you find an unfamiliar word

·         When the material is very complicated

Scanning for research and study
Scanning, too, uses keywords and organizational cues. But while the goal of skimming is a bird's-eye view of the material, the goal of scanning is to locate and swoop down on particular facts.

Facts may be buried within long text passages that have relatively little else to do with your topic or claim. Skim this material first to decide if it is likely to contain the facts you need. Don't forget to scan tables of contents, summaries, indexes, headings, and typographical cues. To make sense of lists and tables, skim them first to understand how they are organized: alphabetical, chronological, or most-to-least, for example. If after skimming you decide the material will be useful, go ahead and scan:

1.     Know what you're looking for. Decide on a few key words or phrases–search terms, if you will. You will be a flesh-and-blood search engine.

2.     Look for only one keyword at a time. If you use multiple keywords, do multiple scans.

3.     Let your eyes float rapidly down the page until you find the word or phrase you want.

4.     When your eye catches one of your keywords, read the surrounding material carefully.

Scanning to answer questions
If you are scanning for facts to answer a specific question, one step is already done for you: the question itself supplies the keywords. Follow these steps:

1.     Read each question completely before starting to scan. Choose your keywords from the question itself.

2.     Look for answers to only one question at a time. Scan separately for each question.

3.     When you locate a keyword, read the surrounding text carefully to see if it is relevant.

4.     Re-read the question to determine if the answer you found answers this question.

Scanning is a technique that requires concentration and can be surprisingly tiring. You may have to practice at not allowing your attention to wander. Choose a time and place that you know works for you and dive in.

Skimming & Scanning

Skimming & Scanning

Skimming and scanning are two very different strategies for speed reading.  They are each used for different purposes, and they are not meant to be used all the time. They are at the fast end of the speed reading range, while studying is at the slow end. People who know how to skim and scan are flexible readers. They read according to their purpose and get the information they need quickly without wasting time. They do not read everything which is what increases their reading speed. Their skill lies in knowing what specific information to read and which method to use.

What Is Skimming?

Skimming is one of the tools you can use to read more in less time. Skimming refers to looking only for the general or main ideas, and works best with non-fiction (or factual) material. With skimming, your overall understanding is reduced because you don’t read everything. You read only what is important to your purpose. Skimming takes place while reading and allows you to look for details in addition to the main ideas.

How to skim

Many people think that skimming is a haphazard process placing the eyes where ever they fall. However, to skim effectively, there has to be a structure but you don’t read everything. What you read is more important than what you leave out. So what material do you read and what material do you leave out?

Let’s say you are doing research on a long chapter or a web site. By reading the first few paragraphs in detail, you will get a good idea of what information will be discussed. Once you know where the reading is headed, you can begin to read only the first sentence of each paragraph. Also called topic sentences, they give you the main idea of the paragraph. If you do not get the main idea in the topic sentence or if the paragraph greatly interests you, then you may want to skim more.

At the end of each topic sentence, your eyes should drop down through the rest of the paragraph, looking for important pieces of information, such as names, dates, or events. Continue to read only topic sentences, dropping down through the rest of the paragraphs, until you are near the end. Since the last few paragraphs may contain a conclusion or summary, you should stop skimming there and read in detail. Remember that your overall comprehension will be lower than if you read in detail. If while skimming, you feel you are grasping the main ideas, then you are skimming correctly.

When to skim

Because skimming is done at a fast speed with less-than-normal comprehension, you shouldn’t skim all the time. There are many times, however, when skimming is very useful.

Suppose you are taking a presentation skills class and have to deliver an oral report in a few days about the first computers ever made. You locate six books and four newspaper articles about this topic. Because you must be ready soon, you do not have time to read each word, but you need a large quantity of solid information.

Skimming will help you locate the information quickly while making sure you use your time wisely. It will also increase the amount of usable material you obtain for your research.

Suppose you have an exam in a few days. You need to review the material you learned, but you don’t want to reread everything. By skimming, you can quickly locate the information you haven’t mastered yet and study only that material.

While reading, ask yourself the following questions to help you decide whether or not to skim. If you answer yes to any of these, then skimming is a useful tool.

■    Is this material non-fiction?

■    Do I have a lot to read and only a small amount of time?

■    Do I already know something about this?

■    Can any of the material be skipped?

If you have sufficient background knowledge or believe you don’t need the information, then skip it! That’s right—don’t read it at all! Believe it or not, skipping material may sometimes be the best use of your time. Just because someone wrote something doesn’t mean you have to read it.  If you pick and choose carefully what you skim and skip, you will be pleasantly surprised at the large amount of information you can get through in a short period of time. 

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What Is Scanning?

Scanning is another useful tool for speeding up your reading. Unlike skimming, when scanning, you look only for a specific fact or piece of information without reading everything. You scan when you look for your favorite show listed in the cable guide, for your friend’s phone number in a telephone book, and for the sports scores in the newspaper. For scanning to be successful, you need to understand how your material is structured as well as comprehend what you read so you can locate the specific information you need. Scanning also allows you to find details and other information in a hurry.

How to scan

Because you already scan many different types of material in your daily life, learning more details about scanning will be easy. Establishing your purpose, locating the appropriate material, and knowing how the information is structured before you start scanning is essential.

The material you scan is typically arranged in the following ways: alphabetically, chronologically, non-alphabetically, by category, or textually. Alphabetical information is arranged in order from A to Z, while chronological information is arranged in time or numerical order.

Information can be also be arranged in non- alphabetical order, such as a television listing, or by category, listings of like items such as an auto parts catalog. Sometimes information is located within the written paragraphs of text, also known as a textual sense, as in an encyclopedia entry.

Learning to use your hands while scanning is very helpful in locating specific information. Do you do anything with your hands to locate a word in a dictionary? To find a meeting time on your calendar? To read a train or bus schedule? Using your hand or finger is extremely helpful in focusing your attention and keeping your place while scanning a column of material.  Your peripheral vision can also help you scan effectively. When your hand moves down a list of names, you see not only the name your finger is pointing to, but also the names above and below. Let your eyes work for you when searching for information.

Keep the concept of key words in mind while scanning. Your purpose will determine the key words. Suppose you are looking for the time a train leaves from New York City for Washington, D.C.The key words to keep in mind are “from New York City” and “to Washington,D.C.” If you are looking for the cost of a computer printer with the code number PX-710, the key word to locate in a list of many printers is “PX-710.”

When to scan

You scan when your aim is to find specific pieces of information. If you were doing the research for an oral presentation, you could scan the index of books, web sites, and reference materials. You would discover whether they contain any information you want and the pages where the information can be found.

In the past, you probably scanned without knowing you were doing it. Now with the information provided in this section, you can use scanning more intentionally and frequently. The more you practice, the more effective scanning will become. Finally, the most important benefit of scanning is its ability to help you become a more flexible reader. Scanning adds another high gear to your reading.

Because you may be used to reading every word and may be uncomfortable leaving some words out, you need to give yourself permission to overlook some words by skimming, scanning, and skipping material according to your reading purpose. I give you permission to NOT read everything! 

Persuasive Writing

Persuasive Writing

Persuasive writing is a form of nonfiction writing that encourages careful word choice, the development of logical arguments, and a cohesive summary. Young children can be guided through a series of simple steps in an effort to develop their persuasive writing skills.

Persuasive writing intends to convince readers to believe in an idea and to do an action. Many writings such as critics, reviews, reaction papers, editorials, proposals, advertisements, and brochures use different ways of persuasion to influence readers.

Three common techniques in persuasive writing

1. Presenting strong evidence, such as facts and statistics, statements of expert authorities, and research findings establishes credibility. Readers will more likely be convinced to side with the writer’s position or agree with his or her opinion if it is backed up by verifiable evidence.

2. Concrete, relevant, and reasonable examples can enhance the writer’s idea or opinion. They can be based on observations or from the writer’s personal experience.

3. Accurate, current, and balanced information adds to the credibility of persuasive writing. The writer does not only present evidence that favor his or her ideas, but he or she also acknowledges some evidence that opposes his or her own. In the writing, though, his or her ideas would be sounder.

Ethos, logos, and pathos

Ethos is the appeal to ethics. It convinces the audience of the credibility of the writer. The writer’s expertise on his or her subject matter lends to such credibility. The level of education and profession of the writer also come into play.

Logos is the appeal to logic and reason. It is the most commonly accepted mode in persuasion because it aims to be scientific in its approach to argumentation. In writing, facts are presented in a logical manner, and faulty logic is avoided.

Pathos is the appeal to emotion. This aims to convince the audience by appealing to human emotions. Emotions such as sympathy, anger, and sadness motivate humans; using pathos will then get the audience to be emotionally invested in the subject of the writing.

Why teach persuasive writing?

As children mature as writers, it's important to give them the opportunity to write using a variety of formats. Persuasive writing helps students formulate specific reasons for their opinions, and provides an opportunity to research facts related to their opinions. As students develop an understanding of how writing can influence or change another's thoughts or actions, they can begin to understand the persuasive nature of the marketing they are exposed to through television, the Internet, and other media

How to teach persuasive writing

1.     Have students listen to or read examples of persuasive writing. Together, listen and look for words, phrases and techniques that helped the writer persuade the listener.

2.     Brainstorm something that is important to an individual child or the group. Is it extra recess? Another chapter of the read aloud? The potential closing of a library? The more authentic the issue, the more passionately your students will write.

3.     Once the important privilege is chosen, have the child (or class) start to list reasons why they should be allowed this privilege. "Just because," and "because I like it" should not be considered valid reasons. Students can work together to generate at least three good reasons to support an argument. 

4.     Have students do some research to gather facts or examples that support their reasons.

5.     Have students summarize their position.

Persuasive Writing Examples

Persuasive writing provides the opportunity to convince someone to adopt a particular viewpoint. Below, we'll explore various persuasive writing examples designed to convince the reader to take a certain action. With these samples in mind, you'll be able to go on and write a most convincing persuasive essay.

Persuasive writing is very common in ad campaigns where marketing want to convince you to buy something. But it can also be used in several other situations as well.

Persuasive Writing in Ad Campaigns

There's an entire psychology behind ad campaigns. Expert marketers look for ways to convince customers to buy their products. Sometimes, they'll MAKE PROMISES - true or false - and other times they'll use words with a sense of urgency like "today" or "now." Let's explore a few examples:

·         Chippers are the crispiest, crunchiest, and most delicious brand of chips you will ever taste. Buy a bag today.

·         A Lexi Mattress is the most comfortable bed you'll ever sleep on. Take a 30-day trial and see for yourself. If you're not satisfied, we'll come to your home, remove the mattress, and refund you in full. You've got nothing to lose. Give it a try today.

·         Chompers Dog Food is sure to make your dog's tail wag. If you truly love your pup, you'll try one of our all-natural selections today.

·         Why risk making a mistake on your tax returns or missing out on added money in your bank account? Trust the experts at 123 Accounting to ensure you get the biggest tax refund possible.

·         Here at Schuster & Schuster, our injury attorneys have recovered millions of dollars for our clients. We will take your case and defend your interests to the very end. Call us today to schedule a free consultation.

·         Our holistic headache medication will get rid of your headache with just one pill and fewer side effects than aspirin or ibuprofen. Be good to your body and try it today.

Persuasive Essay Examples

 Persuasive essays are a great way to formulate sound arguments and distribute them to the public. If nothing else, these types of essays may be a requirement at some point in your academic career.

Let's take a look at a few excerpts from persuasive essays. Each of these could stand as the thesis statement in a well-crafted argument.

·         Mandatory minimum sentencing is harmful to the human race. It is a form of discrimination; many people receive long sentences for minor crimes. We should overturn mandatory minimum sentencing rules and give judges more leeway in their decision-making.

·         The death penalty is a good deterrent for criminals. Beyond that, it is fair because the Bible supports "an eye for an eye." We need to keep the death penalty on the books.

·         Marijuana should be legalized. We are putting too many people in prison and spending too much money to incarcerate them for nonviolent crimes.

Speeches and Persuasive Writing

A powerful persuasive speech stands the chance of rocking an entire nation. Presidential candidates rally for months before an election year. Small town councils meet regularly, often to listen to persuasive speeches about the community. At some point in your college career, you might even find yourself in a  public speaking class that will ask you to deliver a persuasive speech.

Here are some sample statements to consider:

·         Are you tired of seeing your paychecks slashed by unjust tax deductions? We work hard to provide for our families and then wind up only being able to live paycheck to paycheck. If you vote for me, I'll make sure your taxes are lowered and you get the government services that you depend on. Imagine everything you'll be able to do with more wiggle room in your monthly income. Cast your vote today.

·         We need to act now to save our community garden. It's ten years in the making, with enough organic vegetables to feed every mouth in this neighborhood. Hud & Co. has no right to come into our town and pave a parking lot over one of our most prominent food sources. Come rally with me this Friday night. Together, we will stand in their way and protect our beloved town.

·         Raising taxes is wrong because people should be entitled to keep their own money and because an increase in tax revenue will be stifling to businesses. We should keep taxes low or even reduce tax rates to encourage growth.

Take Action Today

In each of these examples, the goal is to get someone to do something or support something. Sound reasoning is required to convince the audience that there's a benefit to their taking action. 

What is an Event?

What is an Event?

An event can be described as a public assembly for the purpose of celebration, education, marketing or reunion. Events can be classified on the basis of their size, type and context.

An event can be:

1) Social / life–cycle events

Events like Birthday party, Hen/Stag party, Graduation day, Bachelor's party, Engagement, Wedding, Anniversary, Retirement day, Funeral etc.

2) Education and career events

Events like education fair, job fair, workshop, seminar, debate, contest, competition etc.

3) Sports events

Events like Olympics, World Cup, marathons, Wimbledon, wrestling matches etc.

4) Entertainment events

Events like music concerts, fairs, festivals, fashion shows, award functions, celebrity nights, beauty peagents, flash mob, jewellery shows, stage shows etc.

5) Political events

Events like political procession, demonstration, rally, political functions etc.

6) Corporate events

Events like MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions), product launches, road shows, buyer-seller meet etc.

7) Religious events

Events like religious festivals / fairs, religious procession, Katha, Pravachan, Diwali fair, Dusherra fair etc.

8) Fund raising/ cause related events

Any event can be turned into a fund raising or cause related event e.g. auctions.

 Secrets To Write Better Stories

Writing isn’t easy, and writing a good story is even harder.

In this article, you’ll learn ten secrets about how to write a story, and more importantly, how to write a story that’s good.

Everything I Know About How to Write a Story

Since I started The Write Practice a few years ago, I’ve been trying to wrap my head around this question, how to write a good story. I’ve read books and blog posts on writing, taken classes, asked dozens of authors, and, of course, written stories myself.

The following ten steps are a distillation of everything I’ve learned about writing a good story. I hope it makes writing your story a little easier, but more than that, I hope it challenges you to step deeper into your own exploration of how to write a story.

1. Write In One Sitting

Write the first draft of your story  in as short a time as possible. If you’re writing a short story, try to write it in one sitting. If you’re writing a novel, try to write it in one season (three months).

Don’t worry too much about plotting or outlining beforehand. You can do that once you know you have a story to tell in the first place. Your first draft is a discovery process. You are like an archeologist digging an ancient city out of the clay. You might have a few clues about where your city is buried beforehand, but you don’t know what it will look like until it’s unearthed.

All that’s to say, get digging!

2. Develop Your Protagonist

Stories are about protagonists, and if you don’t have a good protagonist , you won’t have a good story. The essential ingredient for every protagonist is that they must make decisions. Victor Frankl said, “A human being is a deciding being.” Your protagonist must make a decision to get herself into whatever mess she gets into in your story, and likewise, she must come to a crisis point and decide  to get herself out of the mess.

To further develop your protagonist, use other character archetypes like  the villain , the protagonist’s opposite, or  the fool , a sidekick character that reveals the protagonist’s softer side.

3. Create Suspense and Drama

To create suspense, set up a dramatic question . A dramatic question is something like, “Is he going to make it?” or, “Is she going to get the man of her dreams?” By putting your protagonist’s fate in doubt, you make the reader ask, What happens next?

4.  Show, Don’t Tell

Honestly, the saying “ show ,do not tell” is overused. However, when placed next to the step above, it becomes very effective.

When something interesting happens in your story that changes the fate of your character, don’t tell us about it. Show the scene! Your readers have a right to see the best parts of the story play out in front of them. Show the interesting parts of your story, and tell the rest.

5. Write Good Dialogue

Good dialogue  comes from two things: intimate knowledge of your characters and lots of rewriting.

Each character must have a unique voice, and to make sure your characters all sound different, read each character’s dialogue and ask yourself, “Does this sound like my character?” If your answer is no, then you have some rewriting to do.

Also, with your speaker tags, try not to use anything but “he said” and “she said.” Speaker tags like “he exclaimed,” “she announced,” and “he spoke vehemently” are distracting and unnecessary. The occasional “he asked” is fine, though.

6. Write About Death

Think about the last five novels you read. In how many of them did a character die? Good stories often involve death. Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Charlotte’s Web, The Lord of the Rings, and more all had main characters who died. Death is the universal theme because every person who lives will one day die. Tap the power of  death in your storytelling.

7. Edit Like a Pro

Most professional writers  write three drafts or more. The first draft is often called the “vomit draft” or the “shitty first draft.” Don’t share it with anyone! Your first draft is your chance to explore your story and figure out what it’s about.

Your second draft isn’t for polishing, although many new writers will try to polish as soon as they can to clean up their embarrassing first draft. Instead, the second draft is meant for major structural changes and for clarifying the plot and characters of your novel or the key ideas of your non-fiction book.

The third draft is for deep polishing. Now is when everything starts to gel. This is the fun part! But until you write the first two drafts, polishing is probably a waste of your time.

8. Know the Rules, Then Break Them

Good writers know all the rules and follow them. Great writers 

Know the Rules, Then Break Them

 However, the best writers don’t break the rules arbitrarily. They break them because their stories require a whole new set of rules. Respect the rules, but remember that you don’t serve the rules. You serve your stories.

9. Defeat Writer’s Block

The best way to defeat writers block is to write. If you’re stuck, don’t try to write well. Don’t try to be perfect. Just write.

Sometimes, to write better stories, you have to start by taking the pressure off and just writing.

10. Share Your Work

You write better when you know someone will soon be reading what you’ve written. If you write in the dark, no one will know if you aren’t giving your writing everything you have. But when you share your writing, you face the possibility of failure. This will force you to write the best story you possibly can.

One of the best ways to write a story and share your writing is to enter a writing contest. The theme will inspire a new creation, the deadlines will keep you accountable, and the prizes will encourage you to submit—and maybe win! We love writing contests here at The Write Practice. Why not enter our next one?

How to Write a GOOD Story

All these tips will help you write a story. The trick to writing a good story? Practice.

When you finish the story you’re writing, celebrate! Then, start your next one. There’s no shortcut besides this: keep writing.

What are your best tips on how to write a story? Let me know in  the comments.

PRACTICE

Do you have a story to tell?

Write the first draft in one sitting using the tips above. Then, share a few paragraphs of your practice here in the comments section. And if you share your practice, be sure to leave feedback on a few practices by other writers, too.

Good luck!