Hello. In this Language Focus video we're going to look at Scanning for Details. This is an important skill that can really help you understand what you read. Back in unit one, we looked at another reading strategy called previewing texts. To get the main idea of a reading, after previewing you may decide that you want to read to learn more about specific details in the text. In this video we're going to look at another reading strategy that can help you do this, scanning. When you scan, you will first locate the information. And then, when you have found what you are looking for, you read that section thoroughly, for specific details. Let's look at locating information first. Scanning involves searching for specific information in a reading. You are usually looking for names, numbers, places, or certain words or phrases. The important thing about scanning is that so you know what you are looking for before you begin. One of the main reasons for scanning a text is to answer a question. For example, later in this unit you're going to read a text on the consequences of climate change. Now imagine that you have a question asking about a rise in the earth's temperature. You know that depending on where you live in the world, temperature is measured either in Fahrenheit represented by an F, or Celsius by a C, using degrees. So to look for increases in temperature, you want to scan for the words, Fahrenheit or Celsius, or the letters F or C. The word degree and the number. The way to scan is to move your eyes quickly over the page to find the word or phrases you are looking for. If you know what you're looking for, names, numbers, places are easy to find. Sometimes though, locating information when scanning can be more difficult. If you're looking for an idea and not just a word, there will be other ways to express that idea. Meaning, you're looking for different words. You need to think about synonyms. Words and phrases that have the same meaning. For example if you're looking for evidence of the way that the melting polar ice caps will affect the earth, you obviously need to scan for the phrase melting polar ice caps. However, there are different ways to see this. So you also need to scan for say, shrinking glaciers or loss of sea ice or any combination of these words. Remember, locating the information is only the first part of scanning for details. Once you have found the information you need, you must read it carefully to make sure that you fully understand it. Not understanding one word in a sentence can change the whole meaning. Let's look at an example. Computer models predict the earth's average temperature will soar between two degrees and four degrees celsius in the 21st century. You find this information by scanning. But now, you have to read this section thoroughly to understand the detail. Most of the words in this sentence are easy to understand. However the key word in this sentence is soar. If you do not know the meaning of this word, you can not understand the sentence. While we don't recommend you always look up every word in the dictionary or online. In this case you will want to do so. Soar, as you may know, is the action of a bird as it flies high. So it means rise, or go up. So in this example, soar is used to explain that the earth's temperature will rise or increase by two degrees. So in this video, you looked at scanning for details. This reading involves locating information and then reading thoroughly to make sure you understand the information you have found. Next. You can test yourself with a game. All about scanning for details.