Language Focus: Scanning for Details

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Do curso por University of Pennsylvania

English for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

549 ratings

University of Pennsylvania

English for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

549 ratings

Welcome to English for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, a course created by the University of Pennsylvania, and funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Office of English Language Programs. To enroll in this course for free, click on “Enroll now” and then select "Full Course. No certificate." This course is designed for non-native English speakers who are interested in improving their English skills in the sciences. In this course, you will explore some of the most innovative areas of scientific study, while expanding your vocabulary and the language skills needed to share scientific information within your community. In unit 1, you will learn how to preview texts and practice some of the language used to make comparisons when talking about global warming and climate change. In unit 2, you will examine the chemistry of climate change and the language of cause and effect. In Unit 3, you will learn about some of the impacts of Climate Change and the language used to describe these effects. In Unit 4, you will learn reading strategies that can help you explore the science behind some new energy systems. In the final unit, you will investigate practical advances in Nanotechnology that help slow down climate change, while developing your own research skills in English. Anyone may take this course for free and get a generic Statement of Accomplishment issued by the University of Pennsylvania. If you want to get a Coursera Verified Certificate for free, please fill out the Financial Aid form. Unless otherwise noted, all course materials are available for re-use, repurposing and free distribution under a Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution license. Supplemental reading materials were provided by Newsela, which publishes daily news articles at a level that's just right for each English language learner.

Na lição

The Impacts of Climate Change on our World

Hot, Hot, Hot: Drought and Other Effects of Warmer Temperatures4:30

Hurricanes & Storms5:07

Language Focus: Scanning for Details5:33

Unlockable Achievement 50:09

Rising Sea Levels4:26

Conheça os instrutores

Jack Sullivan
Director of Programs
English Language Programs
Alyssa Swanson
Intensive Program Manager
English Language Programs

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.

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