1.3: Integrating Reading and Writing

As rhetorical processes, reading and writing are integrally connected. The goal of good writers is to engage the readers in a dialog presented in their writing. Similarly, the goal of a critical and active reader is to participate in that dialog and to have something to say to the writer and to others. Writing leads to reading, and reading leads to writing. When you respond to a reading in your journals, you are reading critically, understanding and thinking about the topic, and then creating a meaningful response to the reading. We write because we have something to say, and we read because we are interested in what others have to say. Another relevant example of integrating reading and writing is your final exam for which you will be required to write a summary-response paper. For this kind of paper, you will have to read a short passage on a current topic, summarize the ideas, and then take a stand to write an argumentative paper supporting your views with specific details and examples from your observations, experiences and readings.

Reading critically and going beyond the surface level integrates reading, writing, and thinking to promote transfer of knowledge to other disciplines and to life in general. When we practice this form of deep reading while thinking critically and with an open mind, it may lead to a new understanding of the subject matter. Reading has a profound impact on shaping the human brain and the brain’s ability to be shaped by experience. For example, if you were to read several articles on the devastating impact of climate change on the environment, understand the implications, and then take some sort of action within your community to mitigate the impact of climate change, then you have transferred your knowledge beyond the classroom to make a difference in your daily life.

Similarly reading and analyzing meaningful literature and relating it to your lives can impact your thoughts and experiences. For instance, last semester, after a close reading and discussion of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” one of my students had written a paper analyzing the protagonist and her mental health issues, then considering his own battle with depression, and later seeking the help of a counselor. This would be an example of critical reading when my student read the story, transferred the knowledge beyond the classroom by relating it to his own life, and then took action to improve his circumstances.

In the following video, "Integrated Reading and Writing for College Success" by Kim Flachmann from CSU Bakersfield, she discusses 10 maxims for developmental students.

Social Reading

Social reading which has evolved as a result of developing technology, especially in electronic publishing corresponds to learning by doing, learning by interaction, learning by searching and learning by sharing. Shared reading has become global as programs and platforms have facilitated exchange and collaboration among readers and authors enriching the experience of reading books beyond book clubs. Dialogue between writer and reader is magnified by the Internet where both can interact in real time to generate a new arena of reception and creation. This phenomenon has created a new author/reader relationship without the publishers.

A variety of platforms and applications have radically changed how we read/write and share information.

WSJ Social is an application launched by Wall Street Journal on Facebook, which allows readers to consult the news without having to leave the social network. The application allows the personalization of the contents as members of the social network can choose the news they are interested in and view the news that interests their friends. The news they vote on or share will be referenced in their profile. However, the newspaper maintains some free access news and others are blocked unless a subscription is paid.

BookShout is a platform that allows users to participate and interact with each other. Bookshout makes it possible to purchase, read and download (free) digital books from a large number of publishing houses. One can read from the website of the application, which has a reader, or from an iPad or Android device. As with other social reading platforms, it is possible to underline, annotate, comment, and view contributions on the works made by other readers. It is also possible to join an existing reading circle or create a new one.

Goodreads is simple to use and has 13 million users. Once readers have registered, they can begin to use the platform by carrying out a search for the books that they have read, are reading, or hope to read with the aim of adding them to their bookshelf (My Books). In addition to the possibilities of assessing, commenting on, and labeling a work, one of the most interesting aspects of Goodreads is its book recommendation system. Recommendations are generated by the reading models the user leaves on his or her shelf.

Copia is a book sale and social reading platform featuring the integration of authors, readers, and publishers. Copia offers users the online purchase of books in eBook format and/or on paper and makes available the various functions of a social network, allowing commenting, sharing their reading with friends, or taking notes in the margins of the eBooks. It also allows publishers and bookshops to create online reading clubs and promote their books and authors by grouping readers according to their affinities and reading record. This reading platform is also compatible with iPad, Android, Mac, and PC.

FrankBooks uses Facebook to ‘socialize’ by configuring a content that involves readers, authors, characters, etc. thanks to the possibility of interacting with the works through Facebook. As one reads, the work’s windows open parallel to the text with readers’ comments, with photographs of the places mentioned, etc. With FrankBooks the author is thus able to present his story in a totally unique, colorful way that creates another thrilling level of storytelling.