Young children benefit from texts that teach social lessons. One short story that I can use in my elementary Language Arts classroom to teach about loyalty is “Getting Even“ by Deb Westgate-Silva. In the story, Rosa and Stephanie are best friends, but Stephanie hurts Rosa by choosing to spend time with another friend. Rosa gets revenge by giving Stephanie a taste of her own medicine. I would bring in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. conversation about loyalty before students read the short story, asking students to consider why we getting hurt by friends feels worse than getting hurt by enemies.
Level: Elementary English/Language Arts
Subject Area: American Literature
Author: Tiffany Heitman
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