text: Giving the students the ability to use their creativity is very important because it lets their voices and thoughts be heard. Students usually have more time over the summer to be able to express their creativity, but that is being pulled back due to the same projects that teachers have them do every year. For example, most high school math classes provide students with a four to six page study guide to complete over the summer to make sure that their prior knowledge is still remembered. What if students created their own, unique study guides to complete? How about a presentation on the basics of a unit and sharing it with the class the first or second day back? Not only would the students be able to use their creativity in a project and express their knowledge in many different ways, students in the first class would have a great review of prior knowledge to prepare them for the challenge ahead. Giving students an assignment that they create also makes them more interested and determined to complete their project. Most students would rather show what they learned their own way than the same way as everyone else, and a lot of teacher-designed assignments have the students all doing the same thing. It might be easier for the teacher to grade or review, but students aren't enjoying the assignment because they aren't able to express their knowledge that is different from everyone else. Letting the students create their own projects will give them the opportunity to be creative and express their ideas. Additionally, students will continue to use or remember the skills and knowledge prior to help them create their projects.