Jennifer Keeler, a third grade teacher at Rincon Elementary School, was asked to present at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) 2008 Annual Meeting and Exposition, which took place in Salt Lake City, Utah, April 9-12.  

Keeler, who presented, “Chances Are…You’ll Love a Literature Connection,” joined thousands of math educators from around the world to share and learn new concepts, strategies and techniques in math education.  

This was the second time Keeler has presented at an NCTM meeting.  A former colleague from Florida, Brooke Flood, assisted Keeler with the presentation.

“Chances Are…You’ll Love a Literature Connection,” focused on integrating two children’s books to teach probability while making connections with other math strands such as fractions, geometry and combinations.  The books are “The Sundae Scoop,” by Stuart J. Murphy, and “Arthur and the Sword,” by Robert Sabuda.  Participants of Keeler’s session left with an array of hands-on activities and materials that could be immediately implemented in their classroom.

NCTM’s Annual Meeting and Exposition is the largest gathering of math educators in the world.  

This year’s conference featured more than 740 presentations, covering all grade levels and major math subjects, with an emphasis on helping teachers strengthen skills and teaching methods necessary to prepare their students for the 21st century.