How would skimming a text improve students' comprehension skills?

Skimming is a reading technique that involves rapidly moving through text to get a general overview or the main ideas without focusing on every detail. When students engage in skimming, they become more attuned to identifying key concepts and themes. This approach can enhance their engagement with the material, as it encourages them to actively locate and prioritize information.

By skimming, students learn to recognize important sections, headings, or phrases that indicate the structure and intent of the text. This not only helps them grasp the main ideas more quickly but also fosters a sense of curiosity and motivation to dive deeper into topics of interest. Consequently, improved engagement can lead to a more meaningful and comprehensive understanding of the material as students subsequently read more attentively.

This technique is particularly useful for previewing texts, helping students to generate questions and predictions about the content, which lays a strong foundation for better comprehension when they read closely.