Types of Reading: Scanning, Skimming, Extensive, and Intensive Reading

Once there is such a word as “reading”, everyone depicts one and the same in their mind. The process of reading a book, document, menu, some instructions, comments, feedback, and many others.

However, there is much more to dive deep into this process. Especially learning or teaching languages. It is not a skill to see and read the text. Reading gives lots of benefits for further language learning, development, and skill improvement.

Skills to Be Gained

Therefore, thanks to reading, some other skills can be gained (not only in language learning, but also in everyday life). That’s why it is so vital, even though one may not know about this. It’s time everyone found out.

Types of Reading

4 types of reading are there to boost reading skills: scanning, skimming, intensive, and extensive. All of them serve different purposes and are equally needed. Some can hit upon various ways where it’ll be truly useful. Let’s get to know!

Scanning is a reading technique, which is used to look for specific information quickly without reading the entire text.

This skill can come in handy, as this type of reading does not focus on overall meaning or understanding every sentence. 

Instead, the students’ attention is directed only at the relevant part of the text. Hence, this is essential to gain. It helps to differentiate the information and divide the most important from the general. The brain learns how to filter the information just by looking through.

One can come across such typical uses of scanning:

Scanning is especially useful in professional and academic environments, where time efficiency is essential.

Skimming is a reading strategy, which is used to grasp the general idea or main points of a text. The reader focuses on titles, headings, introductions, conclusions, and topic sentences while ignoring detailed information. 

Learning how to do this, the learners focus on perceiving all information at once analysing the most important. Deviating from this, it’s clear what’s important. 

The aim of this type is not deep understanding, but rather to decide:

However, it’s not as easy as squeezing a lemon. Even though it seems superficial, it requires deep understanding and lots of time to level yourself up in this kind of reading. 

One can come across such typical uses of skimming:

Skimming allows readers to process large amounts of information efficiently and prioritize important texts. 

Acquiring this kind of reading will save a lot of time.

Extensive reading is another kind that involves reading longer texts for general understanding and enjoyment, usually at a comfortable level where most vocabulary is already well-known. The focus is on overall meaning rather than language analysis.

Readers are not expected to stop frequently to look up unfamiliar words. Instead, they are encouraged to guess meaning from context and maintain reading flow.

Typical materials for extensive reading include:

There is a so-called passive reading, which is familiar to the majority like this, and is literally the extensive one. While doing this, the students aren’t aimed to learn new vocabulary at all. Neither this, not grammar.

One can come across such typical uses of extensive reading:

Intensive reading is a kind of reading, which is about a careful and detailed process. It aims at full understanding of both meaning and language form. The reader focuses on grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure, and implied meaning altogether. 

This type of reading usually involves shorter texts, which are often reread several times. Readers may take notes, analyse language, or answer comprehension questions.

One can come across such typical uses of intensive reading:

Talking about reading the books as a hobby or boosting skills once again, intensive reading refers to active one. In such a way, the reader writes down every unknown word, phrase, and collocation. It seems as though they know it but do not implement in their speech. 

As this vocabulary unit is for sure not in their active vocabulary. There should be a structure to stick to:

Not to forget about a range of meanings, the best way to learn an exact one is to remember the context. Sentence structure is important as well. Minding grammar and constructions, the learners can also level up their knowledge in it.

Learning how to read intensively will take two or three times more time than extensive one according to its specifics, but it is well worth it.

Here is the table below to look at all the types once again, analyse and know everything inside out. So-called pleasure for visual learners.

How to Teach it Effectively

All reading types require different approaches and exercises. Here is what the teacher should do.

Scanning

Here are the exercises to do:

The teacher needs to be clear and well-structured here. Firstly, they provide the students with everything needed: ads, menu, timetables, or webpages. The students are fully aware of not reading everything, just headings, sub-headings, and key words that could guide them. 

They are limited in time and the answers are checked quickly. It will prevent them from reading the whole texts, as answers should be abrupt from what is visible. What’s more, the teacher should ignore grammar mistakes as it is not the main focus here.

Acting fast and vigilant is a key to being good at scanning.

Skimming

Skimming requires more time for the students to think, vice versa, in comparison to scanning. They have to read attentively and be able to analyse answering the teacher’s questions. 

However, the time is limited again. So, here are tips for them to give.

Knowing some tactics will help the students to master their skills and always be on time.

Extensive reading

The process of extensive reading requires some time to set. This can be done at the lesson, or more commonly, at home. 

The teacher gives some materials: a novel, story, book, and article. The students read it without any difficulties. Not so many new words or grammar constructions; it’s easy to comprehend. They read it relaxing and not doing any extra exercises.

At the lesson, there is an open-class discussion/work in pairs where the readers answer some questions. 

These are not connected to the grammar or vocabulary again, just a light follow-up. The students express their opinions and share impressions. 

Intensive reading

The students are given some short texts to read. 

But before, it’s great to have a warm-up and preparation task where the learners see new vocabulary and do some exercises to get acquainted with these words. What can it be? Simply a matching exercise with the definitions, synonyms, and translations in the native language.

Intensive reading is about both vocabulary and grammar. 

So, the students fill in the gaps, then finish sentences, then answer questions and use new vocabulary and constructions at the same time. 

That’s a way to gain efficiency from doing this!