880.Resource, Gordon, One: Mentor Text for on 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.

One offers a way to talk about ethical responsibility, showing courage, and taking action, three components of Public Spirit. The author uses colors and numbers as characters, instead of people. The main character, Blue, is attacked by the bully, Red. The other colors comfort Blue but none of them stand up to the bully. Red grows larger and meaner. Soon all the colors are afraid of him. When the Number 1 tells Red “No,” the colors follow his leadership. The colors become numbers, keeping their colors. Even gentle Blue counts, as all the color/numbers follow 1’s leadership. Together, they stand up to Red, who grows small and rolls away. As the story ends, everyone befriends Red, a kind way to respond to a bully. Everyone counts!

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.