Friendship Poems Printable Worksheet | Grade 3–4 ELA

This printable Grade 3–4 ELA worksheet centers on "A Friend," a poem about friendship, guiding students through 10 structured tasks that build vocabulary, comprehension, and poetic language skills. Students read, respond, and reflect on how a poet expresses the meaning of true friendship through word choice and imagery.

At a Glance

• Grade: 3–4 · Subject: English Language Arts / Reading
• Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.4 — Determine meaning of words and phrases in a poem
• Skill Focus: Vocabulary in context, poetic language, and friendship themes
• Format: 1 page · 10 problems · Answer key included · PDF
• Best For: Independent reading practice or literacy centers
• Time: 20–30 minutes

Inside, students encounter the full text of "A Friend," followed by 10 tasks covering vocabulary in context, literal comprehension, and short written response. The single-page format keeps the experience focused. An answer key is included for quick teacher review or self-check.

• Guided practice: 3 vocabulary tasks with context clues drawn directly from the poem. Students identify word meaning using surrounding lines as support.
• Supported practice: 4 comprehension questions with partial sentence frames. Students describe what the poem says about friendship using text evidence.
• Independent practice: 3 open-response items asking students to connect the poem's message to their own experience and explain the poet's word choices without scaffolding.

This gradual-release structure mirrors the I Do, We Do, You Do model, moving students from close reading with support toward independent literary thinking.

Standards Alignment

Primary standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language. Supporting standard CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.1 applies where students cite evidence from the poem to support their answers. Both standard codes can be copied directly into lesson plans, IEP goals, or district curriculum mapping tools.

How to Use It

Use during or after a read-aloud of the poem as a comprehension check. Students completing the worksheet independently during a literacy block give teachers a quick formative snapshot: watch for students who struggle with the nonliteral vocabulary items — this signals a need for additional figurative language instruction. Assign as a literacy center task (20–30 minutes) or as a paired reading follow-up. Works equally well before a writing lesson on friendship-themed poetry.

Who It's For

Best suited for Grade 3 and Grade 4 readers working at or near grade level. Students who need additional support benefit from pre-reading the poem aloud together before independent work. Pair with a friendship anchor chart or a direct instruction lesson on poetic devices to extend learning for above-grade readers.

This worksheet targets CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.4, requiring students to determine the meaning of words and phrases in a poem, including nonliteral language. Vocabulary in context is a persistent challenge: NAEP data show fewer than 40% of Grade 4 students score at or above proficient in reading, with word meaning in literary text identified as a key gap. Fisher and Frey (2014) establish that structured, text-dependent tasks — exactly the format used here — accelerate vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension when students engage with authentic literary texts. This 1-page, 10-task poem worksheet gives Grade 3–4 students repeated, purposeful contact with friendship-themed poetic language, building the close-reading habits that transfer across literary genres.