0:00 Owl: Welcome to How to Preview a Text, an instructional video on reading comprehension brought to you by the Excelsior College Online Writing Lab. 0:15 What would you do if you were suddenly dropped into an unfamiliar place? 0:19 Would you wander around aimlessly, hoping that somehow you will find your way? 0:24 Probably not. 0:25 You'd probably want to carefully explore and investigate your surroundings so that you can gather clues and information that can help you get your bearings and decide what to do next. 0:36 The experience of reading a new text can be similar to that of navigating an unfamiliar place. 0:42 Therefore, before reading you should explore the text first to gather clues and information that can help you get your bearings. 0:49 This is called Previewing. 0:52 Previewing involves surveying or scanning a text in order to create a mental map that can help you read more effectively. 1:00 When you preview, you look for sign-posts by doing the following things: 1:05 Scan for titles, headings, and subheadings 1:09 Skim the first paragraph or introduction 1:13 Skim the last paragraph or summary 1:16 Scan the first sentence after each heading 1:19 Skim the abstract (if provided) 1:22 Make a note of graphic aids such as figures, tables, charts, graphs, and images 1:30 Make a note of typographical aids such as bold-faced or highlighted words and phrases 1:36 Scan any supplemental material at the beginning or end of the text, such as chapter outlines, chapter objectives, discussion questions, or vocabulary lists 1:47 Previewing provides some great advantages: 1:51 First, it helps you evaluate a text in order to decide if it is relevant for your purposes. 1:57 This requires you to think about what your purpose is before you read. 2:00 For instance, if you're doing research on a topic, previewing can help you evaluate if a text provides information you need. 2:08 Second, it helps you read faster by identifying passages that you must read carefully versus those that you can skim or skip. 2:16 Generally, you want to slow down and read more carefully when a passage 2:21 covers a new topic you know very little about; 2:23 contains complicated or technical material; 2:26 is cluttered with essential visual aides like tables, charts, graphs, and images; 2:32 contains a lot of new or difficult vocabulary; 2:35 or requires a lot of visualization or interpretation. 2:40 On the other hand, you may want to skim or skip material when a passage 2:44 is easy to read, 2:46 covers material you already know well, 2:48 or covers material that isn't relevant to your purpose for reading. 2:53 Finally, it helps you read better by helping you identify questions you may have about the text. 2:59 We'll address questioning in another module. 3:03 Previewing is an excellent way to save time and improve your understanding of a text. 3:09 Just like you wouldn't want to wander around aimlessly in an unfamiliar place, you wouldn't want to wander into a text without previewing it! 3:22 Thanks for listening to this instructional video on How to Preview a Text. 3:27 Visit the Excelsior College Online Writing Lab for more support with reading and writing skills.