Skimming

*skimming is a reading technique that can help you to

  • read more quickly.

  • decide if the text is interesting and whether you should read it in more detail.

*Skimming is a fast reading technique.Use it to obtain the gist of a piece of text (i.e. to quickly identify the main ideas in the text)

Identifying Main Ideas

  • The main idea of a paragraph may be found in the first or last sentence, or even in the middle of the paragraph

  • If a main idea is repeated in a slightly different war, its meaning will often become clear.

  • Sometime,It is repeated in the closing sentence.

  • The main idea of a story tells what the story is mostly about. Details in a story provide more information     

     about the main idea 

Page 34 (Exercise A)

1. Bill and john both run the 100 m dash. Bill has won the race for the last three years. But he didn’t train as hard this year as he had fallen ill. This time John practiced regularly every day. On the day of the match, Bill and John line up to start.

What do you predict will happen next ?

a.       Bill will win the race.

b.      John will win the race.

c.       John will drop out the race.

Answer = B

2. Mort looked of out the window. He saw dark clouds gathering in the sky. Soon the clouds covered the sun and the wind began to blow. Just then Mort remembered that his mum had asked him to bring in the dried laundry from the garden

What do you predict will happen next ?

a.       Mort will play a video game with a friend.

b.      Mort will go out to the garden to fetch the laundry.

c.       Mort will go to the room to relax.

Answer = B

3. Brent is an Alaskan sled dog. He has a coat of heavy fur that helps keep him warm. He likes to stand by the fireplace when he gets cold. Brent was out in the snow all day long and got very cold.

What do you predict will happen next ?

a.       Brent will pull a sled through the snow.

b.      Brent will sleep in the snow.

c.       Brent will stand by the fire

Answer = C

Page 33 (Exercise D)

Read the two passages.Then write an answer to each questions

1.Butterflies drink from a built-in straw.A butterfly has no mouth.It can't chew.So it eats with a long,thin tube.Through the tube,the butterfly can suck up sweet nectar.

What can you conclude about the kinds of food a butterfly eats?

Answer: Butter fly can eat only liquid nectar

2.A green house is not green.It is clear.That is because it is made of glass.The glass lets in the sun's heat that helps plants grow.The green plants are the reason for the name.They grow all year round in the warm,sunny room.
What can you conclude about what plants need to grow?
Answer: Plants need sunlight to grow.

Page 31-32 (Exercise Part C)

Read each passage.Then read the conclusion drawn from the facts .Decide whether the conclusion is a good one based on facts.If.It is,write Good Conclusion on the line.If It not,write a conclusion that is reasonable.

1.The Venus flytrab is a plant eats insects;it is hence a carnivorous plant.Its main diet is flies,cater and spiders but it must be said that the plant will eat any small insect that is unlucky enough to get trapped that plant can use for nutrition.

Conclusion: Venus flytrab eats only flies,caterpillars and spiders.

Answer: Venus flytrab eat any small insects.

2.There are numerous kinds of seashells.They are found all over the world.Some are as small as peas.The giant clam shell,though,is very big.It can be up to three feet wide.Over the years,shells have been used in many different ways.They have been used as tools,money,spoons and dishes
Conclusion: Shells come in all shapes and sizes.
Answer: Good Conclusion

3.The kiwi is a flightless bird found only in New Zealand.There are three main types of kiwi: brown,great spotted and little spotted.All kiwi species have declined since European settlement of New Zealand and the little spotted kiwi is most at risk.It survives only on one small island reservation,which was stocked with birds from the mainland.
Conclusion: The little spotted kiwi faces extinction and is hence protected.
Answer: Good Conclusion

4.Origami is the art of paper folding.It is an old Japanese skill.People can make birds,flowers and many other shapes from folded paper.From Japan,origami has spread to the West.All around hte globe,paper folding is thought of as a skill,an art or just plain fun.
Conclusion: It is very difficult to learn origami.
Answer: Origami is a skill, an art or just plain fun.

5.As with all ancient civilisations,the exact origins of the Incan civilisation are unknown.Their historic record,like that of all other tribes evolving on the planet at that time,would be recorded through oral tradition,stone,pottery,gold and silver jewellery,and woven in the tapestry of the people.
Conclusion: Their jewellery is one of the records historians had to rely on for most of the ancient civilizations.
Answer: Good Conclusion

Drawing Conclusions

Drawing Conclusions refers to information that is implied or inferred.This means that the information is never clearly stated.

Sometimes a passage may contain ideas that are not stated directly.Then you must draw a conclusion.When you do this,
you decide what facts mean.