Previewing ( prereading skill )

PREVIEWING

"Teaching is fun ." Aziz Salafi King Khalid University, KSA

1

Reading Skill

Previewing is a pre-reading skill by which the reader tries to gather as much information about the text as he/she can before reading it. This gathering of information helps the reader to have a general picture of the text .


2

What is previewing?

Before reading, look at the title of the text. Try to find out what the writer(s) wants to tell you. Look at the photos, illustrations, and other graphics in a text before you read. This will give you a visual idea of what the text is about. Also, read the first sentence or paragraph of a text because the writer(s) generally states the main idea of the text in the first sentence or paragraph. Another way to preview is to look at the structure of the written discourse. The structure of a letter is different from that of a newspaper article.


3

How does it work?

1 .Read the title. Quite often the main idea of the text is summarized right in the title!


4

Steps for Applying the Skill

2. Read boldface headings and words in boldfaced type. The headings condense the text content for you into just a few words and give you an idea where the author is headed.


5


3. Look over any graphics. Are there photos, maps or charts? These graphic aids provide you with a quick look at the text contents and main purpose.


6


4. Read the first paragraph and/ or the last paragraph. The first paragraph most often contains the topic and the main idea. By previewing the first paragraph you will have a pretty good sense where the author is headed.


7


"Teaching is fun." Aziz Salafi 8

"Teaching is fun" Aziz Salafi 9

Education

Previewing ( prereading skill )