The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) are thrilled to announce the return of their collaborative event: the 2025 NCTE-NCTM Joint Conference for Elementary Literacy and Mathematics. Scheduled for June 16–18, 2025, at the Hilton Chicago, this conference aims to empower elementary educators by exploring the synergy between literacy and mathematics instruction.
This second annual joint conference is specifically designed to empower and engage educators, primarily in the elementary setting, in collaboration across the miles, grade levels, and content areas with a laser sharp focus on coming together for our students, of all languages, cultures, and identities.
Discover the Power of Literacy in Math: Two Dynamic Sessions with MathRack at NCTE-NCTM 2025
We’re thrilled to share two exciting sessions presented by Lynn Rule of MathRack at the upcoming NCTE-NCTM 2025 Joint Conference for Elementary Literacy and Mathematics. Both sessions are rooted in one simple but powerful idea: literacy and math are deeply connected, and when used together, they can transform how students develop mathematical understanding.
✨ Session 1: Developmental Progression to Automaticity: Connecting Literacy and Math with One Mathematical Tool
Date & Time: June 18, 2025 | 9:30–10:00 AM
Room: Lake Erie | Session Type: Burst (30 minutes)
Audience: Pre-K and K–2 Teachers, Educators
Presenter: Lynn Rule – MathRack
Overview:
Ditch the flashcards! This fast-paced “burst” session explores how students can achieve automaticity through understanding—not memorization. The MathRack serves as the anchor tool, supporting learners in making sense of number relationships in developmentally appropriate ways.
With literacy as the starting point, participants will walk through a creative, step-by-step progression that helps children think like mathematicians. Whether you’re new to the MathRack or a long-time user, you’ll leave with fresh ideas on how to use stories and language to build numerical fluency.
➡️ Why attend?
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See how literacy enhances number sense
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Understand the developmental path to fact fluency
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Walk away with practical strategies you can use tomorrow
📚 Session 2: Every Operation Tells a Story
Date & Time: June 17, 2025 | 2:45–3:45 PM
Room: Salon C 1 & 2 | Session Type: 60 minutes
Audience: Pre-K and K–2 Teachers
Presenter: Lynn Rule – MathRack
Overview:
What happens when we step back and let students make sense of problems their way? In this powerful session, Lynn Rule demonstrates how problem structures and children’s literature can unlock early operational strategies. You’ll explore how reading comprehension connects to students’ ability to solve math word problems—and why not giving them a strategy upfront often leads to deeper understanding.
This session encourages you to think beyond the numbers and embrace storytelling as a key to math learning. After all, every operation tells a story—are your students ready to tell theirs?
➡️ What you’ll learn:
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How to build operations understanding through story problems
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Why comprehension drives mathematical success
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Classroom-ready ideas for integrating books and math
Both sessions spotlight Lynn Rule’s innovative approach to teaching with the MathRack, an engaging manipulative that supports number sense, subitizing, and early operations.
📍 Don’t miss these energizing, educator-focused sessions at Hilton Chicago this June. Let’s connect literacy and mathematics in powerful ways—see you there! Click the links below to learn more and sign up.