The Missing Link

I've always had a difficult time distinguishing language arts and reading. My parents always wondered why these two areas were separate from each other, especially in Elementary school--- the question was always "why can't it be called ENGLISH?"

Of course, I then learned that we would have to teach these two separately at first and by the end of first grade we should progressively link the two subjects together. The reason for this is that both touches the basic needs of understanding of a written text. McLaughlin points out that, "Learning takes place when new information is integrated with what is already known." How do you bring that prior information in? Where do the kids gain information? Reading is the basis of communication. In the younger grades, students learn phonics, phonological awareness, and sounding out words. Whereas, the older grades it's learning to understand and express that they understand the text through book reports, learn how stories are put together, etc. Language arts encompasses grammar, semantics, spelling and vocabulary. To link them together creates an understanding of the main idea, inference, and getting the details and the conclusion. 

Even when there's a fine line between the two areas, how is that there are some kids out there not understand or get that connection? I'm working with a student who can easily retell a story with guided questions but when told to write down what he just told me, he struggles and barely writes two sentences. What am I missing here? Even though he seems to be doing well with whole class discussions and other group activities, however, even when I or the teacher models the activity for him, he struggles during  individual work and constantly asks if he is correct or not. It could be a confidence issue or he hasn't develop independent thinking yet... To be become that influential teacher is difficult when facing situations like this.