US Common Core ELA

Story·Brennan Cameron, age 10 — After a fire destroys their farm's crops and orchard, Oscar must decide whether to sell his beloved foal Rose to help his family survive the winter.

Personal Narrative·Happiness Neema, age 11 — A refugee girl from Tanzania navigates teasing about her weekly hairstyle at her Chicago school, finding resilience through friends' support and creative problem-solving.

Story·Steven Cavros, age 9 — In future Orlando sewers, sentient creatures made from garbage attempt to form a government, leading to chaos, tyranny, and one night of freedom above ground.

Poetry·Cora Burch, age 13 — A man barricades himself in a White House closet surrounded by weapons, flags, and symbols of power while small details reveal his unraveling control.

Poetry·Cora Burch, age 13 — A teen searches Craigslist for a bike with a diagonal bar that defies gender categories, settling on one labeled 'women's' despite their preferences.

Poetry·Cora Burch, age 13 — A thirteen-year-old questions the contradiction between flinching at physical closeness and yearning for connection, wondering if intimacy is possible without touch.

Poetry·Cora Burch, age 13 — At 4 AM, a girl reads a beloved book while reflecting on how beauty and peace persist alongside the pandemic's ongoing tragedy.

Poetry·Rainer Pasca, age 14 — A surreal, fragmented reflection on Hurricane Irene becomes an internal storm, where the speaker recognizes the hurricane as something within themselves.

Poetry·Rainer Pasca, age 14 — A writer with writer's block finds inspiration when their cat Rumi jumps on the table, transforming frustration into affectionate verse about the purring 'king of gold.'

Poetry·Rainer Pasca, age 14 — A surreal moment in a forest where the speaker's mind becomes a predatory creature that devours a bird without greeting or ceremony.