659.Resource, Gordon, What Does It Mean to be Kind?: Mentor Text (Grades 3-5)

The theme refers to skills that are a prerequisite for developing relationships. The skills include effective communication, sharing, teamwork, empathy, respect, generosity and building relationships.

Kindness is an abstraction until it is defined in this book by three examples of what it is not, and more than fifteen examples of what it is. The numerous examples of children engaging in acts of kindness also illustrate the connections between kindness, respect, acceptance, paying attention, and generosity. The concrete, varied examples help students understand the meaning of advice they hear often, “Be Kind.”

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.