Student name Date

 Skimming for information Find sections of the text that back up my comments

Objective Outcome To be able to skim read a text to get Skim texts to decide whether or not an overall impression and to find the they will be useful to me in finding main ideas specific information

Introduction Try to remember the definitions of skimming and scanning.

● Skimming means looking through a text quickly for an overall impression and to identify the main ideas. ● Scanning means looking through a text quickly and picking out specific information by finding key words.

Readers skim a text quickly to get an overall sense of what it is about and if it has the information that they need.

 Read the text below quickly, trying to identify the key words that give you an idea of what it is about.

Everyone wants to be in a pop band when they are teenagers because they think they will become a celebrity and make lots of money. More pop bands fail than are successful and aspiring pop musicians need to have a back-up plan if they are going to be able to make a living for themselves. Not everyone can copy the success of Take That or Westlife – not because they do not have the necessary talent; success is more to do with how the band is marketed and promoted by their manager and the quality of the competition from other bands. If pop bands do not have that level of financial and business support, then they are less likely to be successful.

Write a sentence explaining the main ideas in the text (you will probably be able to find two main ideas).

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 Now skim read this text and then try to work out which of the three summaries that follow it tells you what the text is about.

‘Fame Academy’was a television competition first broadcast by the BBC in 2002 to search for and train new musical talent.The prize was a £1 million recording contract with a major recording company as well as the use of a luxury flat in London and a sports car for one year.The prize gave the winning contestant the chance to become a successful pop star. The show was aired weekly as a reality TV show.Contestants (or students) lived in the academy for ten weeks and were filmed as they received vocal coaching, song-writing lessons, dance classes and workshops with professional artists. They were also encouraged to write their own songs and music. Students performed live on the weekly show with the teachers and judges giving their opinion of the performances.The TV audience voted to save their favourite student and on the live Friday show one of the group was forced to leave the show.

Which of the three summaries below tells you what the text is about? Underline the bits of the text above that you used to work out the main ideas. • Summary 1:‘Fame Academy’ was a programme about people who wanted to become famous. The contestants were given coaching on managing the media and how to look good at red-carpet events. Each week, the TV audience voted to save their favourite contestant and one of the group was sent home. • Summary 2:‘Fame Academy’ was about the search for new musical talent and gave the winner the opportunity to become a successful pop star. Students lived in the academy for ten weeks and were taught a variety of skills. Each week, the TV audience voted to save their favourite and one student was sent home. • Summary 3:‘Fame Academy’ was a programme about young people who wanted the chance to go to university. The students were given help with writing essays and doing research and had to complete a task each week. The TV audience voted on which student had completed the best task and one of the group was sent home.

Tip Remember to look for key words as you skim through. The first line will give you important information.

 Next read the following two texts and decide which text will help you to answer this question: • Why do some successful pop bands fail?

Underline the key words that show you that the text you chose includes the information you need to answer the question.

Text 1:

Bands that have remained successful for a long time also need to get on well together. Many famous bands have broken up because they could no longer work together. There are always stories in the gossip columns about how some band members become bigheaded and start thinking they are better than others in the band. Also as bands get older they can lose their fan base as they no longer appeal to teenagers and they have been overtaken by younger and more exciting pop groups. There is also a danger that the bands themselves get bored with touring and the endless pressure of the publicity machine, and decide they have had enough and quit music for a quieter, more private life.

Text 2:

Bands that have remained successful for many years have been able to find a way of working together over a long time.Some band members are able to pursue solo projects but still work successfully with the band.Also bands need to make sure that they develop to keep their fan base – Take That is an example of a band that has been able to do this, appealing to a wide range of fans.Their original teenage fans are now older, many with children of their own.Successful bands have often found ways of managing the pressures of a hectic touring schedule and the relentless publicity machine.

Write a short paragraph in the space below explaining why you chose the text and key words that you did.

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