US Common Core ELA
— In 1953, an eight-year-old Black girl secretly befriends a white girl through a hole in the fence dividing their neighborhoods, until Brown v. Board changes everything.
— A teacher introduces experimental poetry written by multilingual students in Shanghai, created through unconventional writing prompts designed to spark wild imagination.
— A child's meditation on the moon's solitude, repeating and varying descriptions that emphasize its loneliness and unique relationship with Earth.
— A child's memory of digging in sand and being lifted by their father above ocean waves captures a moment of perfect safety and belonging.
— A child recalls digging in sand and being lifted by their father over crashing waves, finding belonging in that moment of safety and joy.
— Seventh graders torment a new student who attends class via video call, only to discover she has a disability when she finally arrives in person.
— After her parakeet dies, a girl receives a stone from a quiet classmate, then passes it to a grieving neighbor, discovering how small acts of kindness ripple outward.
— A young poet captures New York City at night through vivid sensory images—scraggly trees, moonlight on curtains, flickering streetlamps—ending with the city caught in 'the tangled thicket of past importance.'
— After her family cancels their annual carnival trip, an eleven-year-old runs away by bus to Lancaster, only to be immediately driven back home by her friend's mother.
— A walker observes the ocean at sunset, noting waves, seagulls, and the changing sky as day transforms into starry night.