E6 G - Find information quickly

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E6 G - Find information quickly

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E6 G - Find information quickly

Mini-description: Find specific information in short English texts, plans, programmes and ads. You do not need to read every word.

Look for 10 seconds. Can you find a bus number, a place name or a time? Your eyes can search for one detail. This reading skill is called scanning.

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Fortfahren Ausblenden

The video is a British Council reading workshop about skimming and scanning. For this course, focus on one idea: Scanning = looking for specific information.

Einleitung

You see short English texts every day: a timetable, a programme, a menu, a poster or opening hours. Often you only need one detail.

Example: You want to know: What time does the club start? You look for a time. You do not read every sentence.

Deutsch-Hilfe: Scanning bedeutet suchendes Lesen. Du suchst gezielt nach einer Information.

This course follows: Notice → understand → practise → use → feedback → use again.

I-can goals

1. I can find a time, place, price, day or name quickly.
2. I can use keywords before I read.
3. I can scan a short timetable, programme or ad.
4. I can give a short answer in English.

Before you start: quick check

Try English first.

Task A: You need the price of a ticket. What do your eyes look for first?

Hint: Think about a symbol.

Deutsch-Hilfe: Suche nach einem Preiszeichen oder einer Zahl.

Example: £3

Solution: Look for £ and numbers.

Task B: You need the start time. What do your eyes look for?

Hint: 3:30, 4 pm, 10:15 ...

Deutsch-Hilfe: Suche nach Uhrzeiten.

Solution: Look for a number with a time.

Notice: What is scanning?

Scanning is a fast reading strategy.

1. Read the question first.
2. Pick one keyword.
3. Move your eyes over the text.
4. Stop when you see the keyword or a matching detail.
5. Read only the short line around it.

Important: Fast does not mean careless. Check the detail once.

Scanning task: Do not read all the sign. Find only one thing: When is the shop open?

Hint: Look for days and times.

Deutsch-Hilfe: Suche nur nach Wochentagen und Uhrzeiten.

Keywords

A keyword tells you what to search for.

Question	Good keyword	Look for
What time does it start?	start	a time
Where is it?	where	a place or room
How much is it?	price	£ and a number
What day is it?	day	Monday, Tuesday ...
Who can join?	who	a person or group

Word bank: time – place – price – day – room – start – open – closed – ticket

Deutsch-Hilfe: Du musst nicht jedes unbekannte Wort verstehen. Suche zuerst nach dem Detail, das die Frage verlangt.

Understand: Scan a short programme

Green Park Youth Club – Friday

Time	Activity	Place	Price
3:30 pm	Table tennis	Sports Hall	£2
4:15 pm	Art Club	Room 4	£1
5:00 pm	Film Club	Room 2	£3

All names and data in this practice text are fictional.

Task 1: What time is Art Club?

Try English first.

Hint: Scan the Activity column for Art Club. Then move left.

Deutsch-Hilfe: Finde zuerst „Art Club“. Lies dann nur die Uhrzeit in derselben Zeile.

Example: Table tennis → 3:30 pm

Solution: Art Club is at 4:15 pm.

Task 2: Where is Film Club?

Hint: Find Film Club. Then move to Place.

Solution: It is in Room 2.

Task 3: How much is Table tennis?

Hint: Look for £.

Solution: It is £2.

Media scan: In a timetable, your eyes can jump between day, time and subject. You do not need to read it like a story.

Practise: Three short scanning missions

Mission 1: School notice

LIBRARY CLUB

Tuesday, 1:20 pm Room 7 Bring your library card. Free.

Question: Where is the club?

Hint: Look for Room.

Deutsch-Hilfe: Suche die Raumangabe.

Solution: Room 7.

Question: How much is it?

Hint: Look for a price word.

Solution: It is free.

Mission 2: Café board

SUNNY CAFÉ

Apple juice – £1.50 Sandwich – £2.80 Fruit cup – £2.00 Water – £1.00

Question: How much is the fruit cup?

Hint: Find Fruit cup. Read only that line.

Solution: £2.00.

Image challenge: Find one price on the real menu image. You do not need to understand the full menu.

Mission 3: Event ad

CITY SPORTS AFTERNOON

Saturday 18 June 2:00–5:00 pm West Park Games, music and snacks Entry: £2

Question: What day is it?

Hint: Look near the date.

Solution: Saturday.

Question: Where is it?

Hint: Scan for a place.

Solution: West Park.

Poster scan: Look at the poster for 15 seconds. Find one date, one place or one time. Ignore the rest at first.

Use: Plans, maps and signs

A map is also a text. It has labels, lines and symbols. You can scan for a name before you look at the area around it.

Mini-task: Imagine you need Westminster. First scan the map for the word. Then look around it.

A sign can give information with very little text. Pictures and symbols are visual clues.

Deutsch-Hilfe: Bilder, Symbole, Überschriften und Spalten helfen Dir beim schnellen Finden.

Listening and viewing input

You can train scanning with your ears, too: listen for one detail.

Listen twice. Your teacher or a partner can read this slowly. Two speakers only.

Speaker A: Hi. What time is the school film today? Speaker B: It starts at four thirty in Room 8. Tickets are two pounds. Speaker A: Great. See you there.

First listen: Find the time.

Second listen: Find the room and price.

Hint: Listen for numbers.

Deutsch-Hilfe: Beim ersten Hören nur auf die Uhrzeit achten. Beim zweiten Hören auf Raum und Preis.

Solution: 4:30, Room 8, £2.

You may replay or reread the short text. Recording your own voice is optional. Keep recordings private on your device or an approved school system. Do not upload recordings without permission.

Vocabulary in context

Word	Simple meaning	Example
start	begin	The film starts at 4:30.
place	where	The place is West Park.
price	how much	The price is £2.
open	you can go in	The shop is open.
closed	not open	The shop is closed.
room	a place in a building	Art Club is in Room 4.

Deutsch-Hilfe: start = beginnen, place = Ort, price = Preis, open = geöffnet, closed = geschlossen, room = Raum.

Use the English first. Open the German help only when you need it.

Pronunciation

Say the words slowly, then in a short sentence.

time – place – price – room – start

Sentence starters:

1. It starts at ...
2. It is in ...
3. It costs ...
4. It is on ...

Focus: Be easy to understand. A perfect accent is not the goal.

Speaking

Partner A asks. Partner B scans the programme and answers.

Questions:

1. What time is ...?
2. Where is ...?
3. How much is ...?
4. What day is ...?

Answer starters:

1. It is at ...
2. It is in ...
3. It costs ...
4. It is on ...

Then change roles.

Feedback: Was the answer short, clear and correct?

Reading

Read this short message. Scan first.

Hi Sam, Football practice is on Wednesday at 4:10 pm. Meet me at the school gate at 4:00. Bring water. Practice ends at 5:15. Alex

Find:

1. the day
2. the practice start time
3. the meeting place
4. the end time

Hint: Search for day words, times and place words.

Deutsch-Hilfe: Suche nicht Satz für Satz. Springe zu den passenden Angaben.

Solution: Wednesday; 4:10 pm; school gate; 5:15.

Short writing output

Write a 3-line message.

Situation: Tell a friend about an activity.

Word bank: Tuesday – 3:45 pm – Room 5 – £1 – Art Club

Sentence frame:

Hi ... , ... is on ... at ... . It is in ... . It costs ... .

Example: Art Club is on Tuesday at 3:45 pm. It is in Room 5. It costs £1.

Now write your own version with new fictional details.

Sprachmittlung: English → German help

Your German-speaking friend asks:

„Wann und wo ist der Film Club?“

Use the English programme from this course. Give only the needed information in German.

Hint: You do not need a full translation.

Solution: „Der Film Club ist um 17 Uhr in Raum 2.“

This is mediation: You pass on the important message, not every word.

Digital information and AI

If a digital tool or AI gives you an answer, check the original text.

1. Find the detail in the source.
2. Check the number, day, name or place.
3. Write the final answer in your own words.

Do not enter private data, names, photos or school work into an external AI service unless your school has approved it. No upload is needed for this course.

Feedback: Check your scanning

Check	Yes / Not yet
I read the question first.
I chose a keyword.
I looked for one detail.
I checked the line around the detail.
My answer is short and clear.

If one point is Not yet, do one mission again.

Use again: 30-second challenge

RIVERSIDE FUN DAY

Sunday 9 July 11:00 am–3:00 pm Riverside School Music at 12:00 Games at 1:00 Food from £1 Entry free

Set a timer for 30 seconds.

Find:

1. the day
2. the place
3. the music time
4. the entry price

Solution: Sunday; Riverside School; 12:00; free.

Try again. This time, start with the keyword in each question.

Can-do check

Complete the sentences.

I can find a time quickly. Yes / almost / not yet I can find a place quickly. Yes / almost / not yet I can find a price quickly. Yes / almost / not yet I can scan a timetable or ad. Yes / almost / not yet I can give a short English answer. Yes / almost / not yet

If you have three or more Yes, continue with E6 G - Read for detail. If not, repeat one short scanning mission first.

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

What does scanning help you find? (Specific information) (!Every grammar rule) (!A full translation) (!Every unknown word)

What should you read first before scanning? (The question) (!The last line) (!Every sentence) (!A dictionary)

You need a ticket price. What should you look for? (A money sign and a number) (!Only adjectives) (!A long paragraph) (!The title only)

You need the start time. What is a good keyword? (Start) (!Colour) (!Friend) (!Book)

Art Club starts at 4:15 pm. Which detail answers When? (4:15 pm) (!Art Club) (!Room 4) (!Friday)

Film Club is in Room 2. Which detail answers Where? (Room 2) (!Film Club) (!5:00 pm) (!£3)

The notice says Entry free. What is the price? (Free) (!£5) (!£10) (!Unknown)

Which text is good for scanning? (A timetable) (!A text you must memorise) (!A long poem you analyse line by line) (!A spelling test with no text)

What should you do after you find the keyword? (Read the short line around it) (!Stop without checking) (!Translate the whole page) (!Read from the beginning every time)

What is a useful visual clue? (A heading) (!A random guess) (!A hidden answer) (!A very long translation)

Memory

Scanning	Specific information
Timetable	Times and lessons
Poster	Event details
Price	How much
Opening hours	When a place is open
Keyword	Important search word

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
time	When does it start?
place	Where is it?
price	How much is it?
day	What day is it?
room	Which room is it in?

Kreuzworträtsel

Scanning	What reading strategy helps you find one detail quickly?
Timetable	What plan shows lessons and times?
Poster	What text can show an event with date and place?
Keyword	What important search word helps you scan?
Price	What tells you how much something costs?
Place	What answers the question Where?

Lückentext

Vervollständige den Text.

Scanning helps you find quickly. First read the . Then choose a . Your eyes can search for a time, place or . When you find the detail, read the short around it. Finally, your answer.

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

1. Scanning-Karte: Make a small card with the five scanning steps. Use simple English and one symbol for each step.
2. Mini-Stundenplan: Create a fictional timetable with five lessons. Ask a partner three scanning questions.
3. Preis-Suche: Make a fictional café list with four items and prices. Ask: “How much is ...?”
4. Info-Schild: Design a small opening-hours sign. Add two days and two times.

Standard

1. Event-Poster: Create a fictional English poster with day, date, time, place and price. A partner scans it for four details.
2. Partner-Interview: Ask and answer four information questions using “What time ...?”, “Where ...?”, “How much ...?” and “What day ...?”.
3. Hör-Scan: Write a three-line dialogue with one time, one place and one price. Read it slowly to a partner twice. The partner notes the details.
4. Kurze Nachricht: Write a short message about an activity. Use a day, time, place and price.

Schwer

1. Info-Vergleich: Create two fictional programmes. Ask a partner to find which activity starts earlier and which one costs less.
2. Sprachmittlung: Make a short English notice. Give a German partner only the two details they need.
3. Medien-Check: Compare an answer from a digital tool with the original text. Mark the exact detail that proves the answer. Use no personal data.
4. Scanning-Challenge: Create a one-minute scanning challenge with a timetable, poster or menu. Test it with a partner and improve unclear questions.

Lernkontrolle

1. Strategie wählen: You need only the departure time from a long timetable. Explain why scanning is useful and name your first keyword.
2. Fehler finden: A learner reads every word of a menu before looking for one price. Explain one faster strategy.
3. Information prüfen: Two sources show different start times for an event. Describe how you would check which detail belongs to the correct date.
4. Transfer auf Hörtexte: Explain how the scanning idea can help when you listen for one time or one room number.
5. Eigene Aufgabe bewerten: Create one scanning question for a short notice. Explain why the answer can be found clearly without translating the whole text.
6. Digitaler Quellencheck: A digital tool says an event is free. The original ad says “Entry £2”. Explain what the correct answer is and why the source matters.

Lernnachweis

For your learning record, show that you can:

1. find specific information in a short timetable, programme, menu or ad;
2. choose useful keywords;
3. use visual clues such as headings, columns, numbers and symbols;
4. answer short information questions in clear English;
5. pass on one important detail in German without translating everything;
6. check a digital answer against the original source;
7. use fictional or approved data and keep optional recordings private.

OERs zum Thema

Useful open and public learning sources:

1. Wikipedia: Lesestrategie – German background on skimming and scanning.
2. Landesbildungsserver Baden-Württemberg: Englisch – competence grids and learning materials for English.
3. Wikimedia Commons: School timetables – freely licensed timetable media.
4. Wikimedia Commons: Bus timetables in the United Kingdom – real timetable examples.
5. British Council: Reading workshop – Skimming and scanning – embedded above via YouTube.

The Wikimedia Commons images in this aiMOOC use the licence stated on each file page. Use the embedded YouTube player; do not copy or re-upload the video.

Verknüpfte Lernbereiche

Find information quickly Englisch Leseverstehen Lesestrategie Scanning Skimming Text- und Medienkompetenz Hörverstehen Sprechen Schreiben Sprachmittlung