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It happens every September, like clockwork. It's as much of a tradition as apple pie or baseball. It's the "What I Did This Summer" assignment, and it's time to take it to the next level. A great summer vacation story doesn't have to be an essay (unless your teacher wants it to be). It can be a poem, a poster, a dialogue, or even a time line. It can be anything you want it to be, as long as it tells a good story.

Take One: A Traditional Essay


Most "What I Did This Summer" projects are essays, such as this award-winning essay by Corri Ell from Northside High School in Roanoke, Va. In this essay, Corri writes a fantastic story! That's why it was printed in her local newspaper, The Roanoke Times.

My Summer Vacation


On my summer vacation I went on a wild ride to Costa Rica with my family. Our trip took us through rainforest, villages and rivers, just to get to a lovely little beach house. We were grateful just to have running water and electricity. As for our shower we were never lonely with the company of a dead crab. We started driving down a dirt road and came to this little town where there was a man who rented horses out to people. One of my dreams was finally fulfilled when I got to ride a horse on a beach.

Many mornings we were woken up by howler monkeys. Once they woke us up at four o'clock in the morning. Then one day, the scariest thing in my life happened to me. I was on the porch when I heard this loud noise that sounded like a helicopter. When I looked above me there was a huge rhinoceros beetle flying above my head. It landed on the ceiling and then started flying around again and that's when it landed on me. It was so big and so scary to me. To make things worse, instead of my older sister trying to help me, she took pictures of me. Finally I grabbed a wet towel and with great effort pulled the beetle off me. So through fun times and scary times, I had one wild ride to Costa Rica.

--Next--> Try a poem

photo: iStock