To Have a Friend... by Richard Woodard | CommonLit | Paired Texts

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by Richard Woodard 2002

We've identified these texts as great options for text pairings based on similar themes, literary devices, topic, or writing style. Supplement your lesson with one or more of these options and challenge students to compare and contrast the texts. To assign a paired text, click on the text to go to its page and click the "Assign Text" button there.

Elizabeth Donnelly

In "Cracks of Gold," a boy fixes a mistake with the help of a new neighbor.

Pair “Cracks of Gold” with “To Have a Friend” and ask students to discuss how the main characters in both stories feel about moving. How do both Benjamin from “Cracks of Gold” and Gil adjust to moving somewhere new? What do they learn about their community? How do both character’s feelings change throughout the stories?

4th Grade Short Story 660L

Aly's Discovery

Jacqueline Adams

In Jacqueline Adams' "Aly's Discovery," a young girl finds friendship in someone unexpected

Pair “Aly’s Discovery” with “To Have a Friend” and ask students to discuss how the main characters feel about moving to a rural area. How does Aly, from “Aly’s Discovery” make a new friend? How does Gil? How do both characters find new ways to enjoy themselves?

4th Grade Fiction - General 740L

Reaching Out to the New Kid

Lissa Rovetch

In "Reaching Out to the New Kid," a magazine author offers advice on helping a new kid at school.

Pair “Reaching Out to the New Kid” with “To Have a Friend” and ask students to discuss the best ways to make new friends. Would Gil agree with the advice Arizona gives Hesitating in Henderson in “Reaching Out to the New Kid?” What advice would Gil give for making new friends?

3rd Grade Fiction - General

Christine Henderson

In the story "A Secret Code," a girl learns to be proud of her family at her school's Open House.

Pair “To Have a Friend...” with “A Secret Code” and have students think about how having a friend can help someone feel better in a new place. How does having a new friend help Gil in “To Have a Friend”? How does having a new friend help Amy in “A Secret Code”?

3rd Grade Fiction - General

The Weird Day with Walden

M. Coutts (Morgan Irons)

In "The Weird Day with Walden," a boy does not know that his confusing new neighbor is actually two twin brothers.

Pair “To Have a Friend…” with “The Weird Day with Walden” and ask students to compare the two stories about making friends. What is Gil’s problem in “To Have a Friend…”? How does Gil solve his problem? What is Tim’s problem in “The Weird Day with Walden”? How does Tim’s problem get solved? What lesson do the two stories teach about making friends?

3rd Grade Short Story 520L

The Race of Friends

In "The Race of Friends," the poet uses a relay race as a metaphor for friendship.

Pair “To Have a Friend…” with “The Race of Friends” and ask students to discuss how different genres can teach similar lessons about friendship. What type of text is “To Have a Friend…”? How does “To Have a Friend…” teach about friendship? What type of text is “The Race of Friends”? How does “The Race of Friends” teach about friendship? How do poems and stories teach lessons in different ways?

Mo of the Mudflat

Nora Nickum

In "Mo of the Mudflat," a girl learns to appreciate the beauty of nature in her new home.

Pair “To Have a Friend…” with “Mo of the Mudflat” and have students think about how moving impacts both of the characters. How do Gil from “To Have a Friend…” and Mo from “Mo of the Mudflat” feel similarly about their new homes? What helps them change their minds about moving? How can making friends help us adjust to a new place?

4th Grade Short Story 640L

Nora Nickum

In "Broomball," Jade has trouble adjusting to her new community after moving to Minnesota from California.

Pair “To Have a Friend…” with “Broomball” and ask students to discuss the importance of the setting in each story. What is the setting in “To Have a Friend…”? What is the setting in “Broomball”? Why is the setting important to the plot in each story?

4th Grade Short Story 760L