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SCANNING IN READING COMPREHENSION

A. Definition Scanning
What is reading comprehension?
Reading comprehension is defined as the level of understanding of a
text/message. This understanding comes from the interaction between the words
that are written and how they trigger knowledge outside the text/message.
Understanding a written text means extracting the required information from it as
efficiently as possible. For example, we apply different reading strategies when
looking at a notice board to see it there is an advertisement for a particular type of
flat and when carefully reading an article of special interest in a scientific journal.
Yet locating the relevant advertisement on the board and understanding the new
information contained in the article demonstrates that the reading purpose in each
case has been successfully fulfilled. In the first case, a competent reader will quickly
reject the irrelevant information and find what he is looking for. In the second case,
it is not enough to understand the gist of the text; more detailed comprehension is
necessary. It is therefore essential to take the following elements into
consideration.
What is scanning?
Scanning a text is a reading technique where the reader looks for specific
information rather than trying to absorb all the information. 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. When we
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scanning, we only try to locate specific information and often we do not even follow
the linearity of the passage to do so.
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
appear. Move your eyes down the page in a systematic way.
6. 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.

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B. Example:
The Red Fox
The red fox couldnt have chosen a worse time to bring a litter of kits into the
world. Nestled in a small hollow beneath a hickory tree, curled against their
mothers plush fur, the three young kits were warm and comfortable. But when the
freezing storms came, the shallow nest would surely let in the snow. And it would
be too easy for predators to find the babies when their mother left them to search
for food. The fox knew she would have to seek a new home, and soon.
1. Where had the red fox chosen to nestle?
2. How many young kits did the red fox have?
3. Who might be able to find the babies if the red fox left them alone?

Read the first question, Where had the red fox chosen to nestle? Then scan to the
word nestled. Note out loud that since a form of the word nestle (nestled) is in
the question, then perhaps this would be the area of the text where you might find
the answer. Read aloud the sentence, reflect back to the question, and then confirm
the answer by rereading the portion of the sentence that states the answer (a small
hollow beneath a hickory tree, curled against their mothers plush fur) Repeat this
procedure with the remaining two questions.

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C. Exercise Reading Story
Multiple Choice Question
Sara Smith, a Pasadena resident, went shopping. She is 30, and has lived at 3037 N.
Foothill Street since 1992. Sara has been married to John for seven years. They have two
children; Bob is five years old and Nancy is three. Sara owns a 1995 four-door blue Toyola.
At 9 a.m., Sara got into her car and drove to Barget, a department store a mile away.
Barget was having a holiday sale. Sara bought a four-slice toaster for $29.95 plus tax.
The regular price was $39.95. She paid by check. On her way home, Sara stopped at
MilkPlus to buy a gallon of nonfat milk. The milk was $3.50. Sara got 50 cents back in
change.
Sara arrived home at 10 a.m. John and the kids were still sleeping. She woke hem up
and then made a hot and nutritious breakfast for everyone.
1. How old is Sara?
a. She's 30 years old.
b. She's 29 years old.
c. She's 28 years old.
d. She's 27 years old.
e. She's 26 years old.
2. Who is Sara married to?
a. She is married to Smith.
b. She is married to Andrew.
c. She is married to John.
d. She is married to Chris.
e. She is single.

3. How many children do Sara and John have?
a. They have three children.
b. They have five children.
c. They have six children
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d. They have two children
e. They have four children

4. What kind of car does Sara have?
a. She has a 1995 four-door blue Toyola.
b. She has a 1995 four-door red Toyola.
c. She has a 1995 four-door blue Toyola.
d. She has a 1990 four-door blue Toyola.
e. She has a 1995 four-door blue Toyota

5. When did she go to Barget?
a. She went to Barget at 9:00 PM.
b. She went to Barget at 8:00 AM.
c. She go to Barget at 9:00 AM.
d. She went to Disney at 9:00 AM.
e. She went to Barget at 9:00 AM.

6. What is Barget?
a. It is a supermarket.
b. It is a public place.
c. It is a department store.
d. It is a department.
e. It is a name of street
.
7. How did she pay for the toaster?
a. She paid by cash.
b. She paid by internet banking.
c. She dont paid.
d. She paid by transfer.
e. She paid by check.

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8. What did she buy on her way home?
a. She bought some nonfat milk.
b. She bought some butter.
c. She bought many nonfat milk.
d. She buy some nonfat milk.
e. She bought some fat milk.

9. What was the price of the milk?
a. It is $3.50.
b. It was $2.50.
c. It was $3.50.
d. It was $3.00.
e. It were $3.50.

10. What did she do when she found that kids were still sleeping?
a. She wake them up.
b. She woke them down.
c. She woke there up.
d. She woke them up.
e. She woke him up.

Essay question
Tornadoes in Kansas
Kansas is known for many things -- wheat, sunflowers ... and tornadoes! What
famous story set in Kansas features a tornado?
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum, tells the story of Dorothy, who gets
caught in a Kansas tornado and lands in the imaginary land of Oz. This story has been
dramatized on stage and film. You might have seen the movie version, which stars Judy
Garland as Dorothy.

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Tornadoes are storms with rapidly rotating winds that form a funnel cloud. Also
known as "twisters," they extend downward from the huge clouds of a severe
thunderstorm. The winds that rotate within a tornado usually reach a speed of almost 300
miles per hour! A tornado often sweeps through an area quickly, but it can cause
considerable destruction.
There have been a number of remarkable reports of tornadoes. In one instance, a
schoolhouse was demolished while the 85 students originally inside it were carried more
than 400 feet with none killed. There was also a case of five railway coaches, each weighing
70 tons, lifted from their tracks.
1. What is Kansas known for?

2. How fast do the winds rotate within a tornado?
..
3. What is tornado? Explain !

4. Tornadoes are also known as..

Nasreddin and the Pot
One day Nasreddin borrowed a pot from his neighbour Ali. The next day he
brought it back with another little pot inside. "That's not mine," said Ali. "Yes, it is,"
said Nasreddin. "While your pot was staying with me, it had a baby."

Some time later Nasreddin asked Ali to lend him a pot again. Ali agreed, hoping that he
would once again receive two pots in return. However, days passed and Nasreddin had still
not returned the pot. Finally Ali lost patience and went to demand his property. "I am
sorry," said Nasreddin. "I can't give you back your pot, since it has died." "Died!" screamed
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Ali, "how can a pot die?" "Well," said Nasreddin, "you believed me when I told you that your
pot had had a baby."
5. Who was the owner of the pot?
.
6. How many times did Nasreddin borrow the pot?
.
7. How many pots did he give back the first time?
...............
8. Why was the neighbour happy to lend his pot a second time?

9. How many pots did Nasreddin return the second time?
..
10. What probably happened to the pot?
..

D. Exercise conversation story
Write the conversation below onto a piece of paper and using the 6 words below fill in
the blanks.
Year Christmas Congratulations
Good evening luck hello
Well

1. Get __________ soon Mr Bean we all miss you at work.
2. __________ Mr Bean how are you?
3. Good __________ with your test.
4. __________ on your win Mr Bean.
5. Merry __________ everyone.
Write the conversation below onto a piece of paper and using the 5 words below fill in the
blanks.
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Fill in the missing words
Mr
Bean:
Good (6) ________, Mrs Jones.
Mrs Jones: Good morning, Mr Bean. How are you?
Mr Bean: I'm fine (7) _______, and you?
Mrs Jones:
(8) __________ . Mr Bean, this is my husband Michael, Michael this is Mr
Bean my (9) ________.
Mr Jones: Pleased to meet you Mr Bean.
Mr Bean: (10) ______ to meet you too. Are you from England, Mr Jones?

Mr Bean Pleased Not too bad
English teacher Goodbye Morning
Thanks