US Common Core ELA
— A lonely man in ancient Greece trades his dog to a god to resurrect his dead son, but Hades punishes him for breaking the laws of death.
— A Mars colonist on the verge of quitting discovers microbial life when his resignation form accidentally hits the wrong target, triggering a life detector.
— A young poet's repetitive meditation on the strangeness and nothingness of cactuses, built through simple observations and circular phrasing.
— A child's urgent poem captures the terror and escape from an erupting volcano, circling back to the image of the volcano at the center of everything.
— A boy with prophetic visions flees with his uncle to escape his mother's murderous revenge, but a wolf attack forces a reckoning with forgiveness.
— A young poet observes the ocean's mysteries—fish, sharks, treasure—while lamenting that its population is disappearing.
— A seven-year-old celebrates love, water, teamwork, and endless fun in a brief, exuberant poem that reads like a joyful chant.
— A word discovered in a box pursues the narrator, invading their mind and triggering painful memories whenever someone speaks it aloud.
— A girl labeled 'alien' by her friend for her waterproof hair and quirks observes the equally strange behaviors of everyone around her at what seems to be a summer camp.
— A World War II veteran visits his best friend's grave, triggering memories of the day Joseph died saving him in a jungle ambush.