From Janet Allen: “Skimming and scanning require that readers use their knowledge of ways to get information from text quickly. Students have to learn where in the text they would go to get first impressions and fast facts related to the reading they will do. Then, they have to make some predictions and inferences based on those impressions and facts.” See Reading History (pages 11-12 and 108) for more detail, student example, and template for a skim and scan graphic organizer.