It is a misguided and wasteful effort to try to separate out the teaching of language arts from the teaching of social studies and to wage war over which subject is most deserving of children's time. Instead, there is real power to be gained from teaching from a combined language arts-social studies perspective that shares similar goals and values similar experiences. Such a perspective involves more than simply acknowledging that reading, writing, speaking and listening occur within the context of history or social science. It means allowing children to grapple with disciplinary concerns in an intellectually stimulating way, learning to use language in order to develop historical meaning. In recent years, three important points of confluence have developed between the two disciplines, each of which presents difficult pedagogical issues that may be documented through transcripts of actual classroom dialogues. First, both disciplines have recognized the importance of authenticity--providing students with experiences that match what practitioners do. Second, both disciplines believe in interpretive communities as a means of generating knowledge. The function of these groups is to allow students to refine their understandings and to build on the comments of others. Third, a major thrust in both of these disciplines is the cultivation of student responses; both are interested in developing empathetic responses in children. (Contains 14 references.) (TB)