877.Resource, Gordon, 14 Cows for America: Mentor Text for Public Spirit Gr. 3-5

Public Spirit is about taking action. It means taking an active interest in the well-being of one’s various communities, including home, school, community, country, and the world. It includes respect for others, courage, ethical responsibility, civic responsibility, social justice, and leadership.

Think of your most valuable possession. How hard would it be for you to give it away to someone you have never met? What would make you want to give away something you treasure? Now let’s make your decision even more difficult by imagining that what you give away means that your family has less food and money. This decision to see value in others we don’t know, to express empathy, lies at the heart of 14 Cows for America. When a young man named Kimeli returns to his village in Kenya and shares the story of the loss of 3,000 American lives on September 11, his villagers, the Maasai, decide to give the gift of life, the gift of hope. Why? “Because there is no nation so powerful it cannot be wounded, nor a people so small they cannot offer mighty comfort.”

Heart of Georgia RESA teachers may request a free copy of the book to use with their classes by listening to the short VoiceThread about the book, reading a brief handout that includes the ELA standards and suggested strategies for using the mentor text, and completing a request form.