School is out, summer school is over, what now? I now have time to explore, create and crowd source new ideas for next years students! I have already been busy this summer reading and watching videos and have so many ideas churning. Today I am just going to use this space to put some of those ideas on paper so I can use it for inspiration all year long. I have said and heard other teachers in my department say that kids just can't do math without a calculator. We have talked about how we should incorporate more mental math into our classes. Sometimes we do, sometimes we start out strong, then give in. Why are students mental calculations so weak? Is it because they are taught to memorize? Are they taught strategies but once they are given a calculator they don't keep up the practice so their skills become weak or even non-existent? Besides mental math skills, what students really seem to lack is number sense. They seem to be so reliant on the calculator they don't even ...