Annelle Keller responding to Mae Jemison on teaching arts and sciences together

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.  It is the source of all true art and science.

Albert Einstein

Mae Jemison is a former dancer, NASA astronaut, physician, and Peace Corps volunteer who firmly believes that science and the arts are connected.  Science provides an understanding of a universal experience whereas art provides universal understanding of a personal experience.  She believes that there must be a balance in the areas of science and the arts.  Being able to balance both is a must for today's learners.  According to Jemison, "arts and sciences are the avatars of human creativity- they are our attempt as humans to build an understanding of the world around us."

  

 Teaching students interdisciplinary studies or "cross curriculum" has always been a part of educating students for as long as I can remember.  Interdisciplinary studies reveal to students that what they are learning in one subject is not in isolation and that all subjects are interconnected.  In order to read content in science and social studies, students must use language decoding skills.  In order to understand science vocabulary, language vocabulary strategies are used.  Writing in science and social studies uses skills learned in language.  Math skills are used to do measurement and conduct quantitative analysis in science.