Final answer:
The integrating skills approach in reading and writing tasks leads students to engage with authentic reading and writing, applying critical strategies and incorporating researched information into their own work, enhancing their overall academic writing and communication skills.
Step-by-step explanation:
The approach of integrating skills applied to authentic reading and writing tasks encourages students to pursue authentic reading and writing. This method focuses on the use of interpretation, synthesis, response, and critique to compose texts that blend the writer's original ideas with information from various sources. By engaging in authentic tasks, students are not learning the language as isolated skills, nor are they focusing solely on grammar rules or memorizing vocabulary. Instead, they apply methods and technologies for research and communication, experience the collaborative and social aspects of writing, and learn to apply correct genre conventions such as structure, paragraphs, tone, and mechanics in their work.
Through this approach, students understand the reading through informal analysis and practice close-reading in a comfortable environment. It also prepares them for more formal essay writing and improves their ability to give and act on productive feedback. Engaging in such tasks not only broadens their comprehension but also equips them with skills necessary for high-level academic writing and critical thinking.