Bridging the disciplinary divides is reflective of the nature of learning and work in the 21st century. Yet the new Australian curriculum suggests schools are likely to be increasingly trapped within the disciplinary boundaries (Reid, 2009). In this article, we report a small case study which investigated the assumption that integrative approaches are incompatible with the pursuit of standards in 'the basics' (University of Cambridge, 2009) within two schools situated very differently both temporally and spatially: a small Tasmanian government primary school classroom in the 1960s and two classes in a large Victorian co-educational independent secondary school in the first decade of the 21st century. Drawing on findings from multiple data sources, including interviews, video-taping and photographs of class lessons we argue cross-curricular approaches can co-exist with subject-based teaching without compromising basic standards, but that curriculum documentation must provide greater clarity about what constitutes effective cross-disciplinary learning.