There is a common belief that reading and writing need to be integrated to effectively teach and understand language arts. However, historically, reading and writing have largely been disconnected in many countries, including the United States. Based on a review of previous studies, some of the dominant perspectives and teaching approaches regarding ways of connecting reading and writing were identified. The problems caused by isolating reading from writing, as well as both the benefits and challenges of integrating reading and writing in language arts classrooms, were also discussed. This historical review explores the larger conversation about reading and writing in educational contexts by commenting on what issues need to be addressed and how we might address them within the classroom context in an increasingly complex society.