This study proposes an interactive model of "cross-domain" concept mapping with an emphasis on brain functions, and it further investigates the relationships between academic achievement, creative thinking, and cross-domain concept mapping. Sixty-nine seventh graders participated in this study which employed two 50-minute instructional sessions. The findings suggest that (a) the seventh graders may lack the awareness or ability to integrate knowledge and make connections between their learning and life experiences; (b) creative thinking, academic learning and concept mapping share similar capacities; and (c) cross-domain concept mapping, which fosters cross-domain information integration and connections between learning and life experiences, can be an efficient mental tool in understanding a student's creative thinking and academic learning. (Contains 2 figures and 5 tables.)