●● Often students need to write a paper or an essay response on an exam about what they
are learning in their classes. This requires combining information they have heard in
class lectures with what they have read in textbooks or other materials. This type of
writing can be referred to as integrated writing. In this type of writing, students must:
— take notes on what they hear and read, and use them to organize information
before writing
— summarize, paraphrase, and cite information from the source material accurately
— write about the ways the information they heard relates to the information they read
For example, in an academic course, a student might be asked to compare and contrast
the points of view expressed by the professor in class with those expressed by an author
in the assigned reading material. The student must successfully draw information from
each source to explain the contrast.
●● Students must also write essays that express and support their opinions. In this type of
writing, known as independent writing, students express an opinion and support it
based on their own knowledge and experience.