Hes unrepentant and even though he is facing serious jail time, his kindly parole officer, a man named garvey, gets him into this native american justice program called circle justice. There, he is mauled by mysterious white bear of native american legend. Spirit bear is a bear who defends himself when cole trys to kill him. Before diving into a summary of the story, lets meet some of the. Spirit bears are legendary bears who are going extinct. What are 3 character traits for cole in touching spirit bear. There are several themes in the book touching spirit bear. After i read this book i really just wanted to read more.
Touching spirit bear study guide contains a biography of ben mikaelsen, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. If you like touching spirit bear you might like similar books the murk, the rainbow people, river thunder, aesops fables, cleopatra rules the amazing life of the original teen queen. In his napra nautilus awardwinning novel touching spirit bear, author ben mikaelson delivers a poignant comingofage story of a boy who must overcome the effects that violence has had on his life. People feel trust when they touch the bear s head, but so far only cole get to do that. Ben mikaelsen born december 8, 1952 is a bolivian american writer of childrens literature. Some of the main themes are to treat others with respect, you always have redemption for your mistakes, and that you cant change the circle of life. Entitled the fourth character, it helps students organize story facts that show how the island where cole was banished took on the role of a fourth main character. The spirit bear a mystic bear living on the alaskan island.
After severely injuring peter driscal in an empty parking lot, mischiefmaker cole matthews is in major trouble. Copy of touching spirit bear chapter questions with answers. Immediately download the touching spirit bear summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching touching spirit bear. Touching spirit bear by daria cheremushkina who is cole mathews cole mathews is the main character in the book touching spirit bear by ben mikaelsen. This document asks students to define the element, and apply their knowledge by giving an example from the book. The feather symbolizes respect and responsibility, no one must speak without it photo by grant macdonald.
At fifteen, cole matthews has been fighting and stealing for years. Some of the main themes are to treat others with respect, you always have redemption. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. To survive, he must stop blaming others and take responsibility for his life. The setting is important to the events in the story because if cole hadnt gone to the island, he wouldnt have been able to tame his anger or make things right.
There it is rainy and wet almost all the time with strong storms and high winds often. Touching spirit bear setting the setting takes place on an isolated island called ketchikan, alaska, close to drake. He is a 15 year old boy who at first got into a lot of trouble and was sent to the circle justice to avoid jail. While waiting for the courts decision cole, the boy, was kept in a detention center.
Touching spirit bear by ben mikaelsen touching spirit bear novel study guide is a 148page resource for teaching ben mikaelsens popular novel with eight different components. Please provide details about the main character of touching. The assessment should be taken as an openbook test. Troubled teen meets totemic catalyst in mikaelsens petey, 1998, etc. Cole matthews is the main character of the novel touching spirit bear. Cole matthews, the main character, goes on a journey of selfdiscovery and ends up creating a totem pole to explain what he. Copy of the watsons go to birmingham1963 character chart. As coles parole officer, garvey seems to be the only person in his life who continues to believe. If you know the answer to this question, please register to join our limited beta program and start the. When we first meet cole matthews, its clear that hes dealing with a ton of anger issues. Cole matthews is banished to a remote alaskan island as punishment for beating his classmate peter driscal almost bad enough to kill him. Whatever you do to the animals, you do to yourself. This free graphic organizer is from my touching spirit bear novel teaching pack. The main setting of touching spirit bear is on a southwestern alaskan island.
Touching spirit bear notes chapter 1 a flashback explains to us how cole got to alaska in the first place. Cole matthews is a teenage delinquent whos in big trouble for beating up a kid named peter driscal. Quiz about the ben michaelsen book, touching spirit bear. Touching spirit bear who are all the characters in the novel. Touching spirit bear is a book about a very angry and abused fifteen year old who is facing a prison sentence for attacking and injuring a fellow ninethgrder. Edwin, the tlingit elder who oversees coles sentence on the island, isnt exactly someone to. I hope that youll consider it and the other essays on this site about touching spirit bear.
Touching spirit bear book report essays in this chapter, the main character and three other characters were introduced. The bear mauled cole and taught him the beauty of all life. Perfect for your upcoming touching spirit bear unit, this package contains touching spirit bear comprehension questions, answer keys, activities, graphic organizers, projects, and more. Though ccss alignments are not listed in this file, the various activities meet a large portion of ela skills requirements for grades 68. Touching spirit bear essay essays largest database of quality sample essays and research papers on touching spirit bear. I baked it this morning, using the same ingredients on the table photo by werner kunz. It will also give a glimpse of how well the students internalized and applied the spectrum of instructional strategies used while reading the novel.
It is hard to meet and it doesnt try to hurt human unless human attack first. People feel trust when they touch the bears head, but so far only cole get to. Theme touching spirit bear book report there are many themes to this book. Thats what happens to the main character in ben mikaelsens touching spirit bear, and now he has to deal with the consequences. Coles parole officer offers him an alternativecircle justice, an. It is believed that it is a ghost bear or a god like bear, hence the name, because this bear is spiritual. Fifteenyearold cole matthews is the main character of ben mikaelsens novel touching spirit bear. In his napra nautilus awardwinning novel touching spirit bear, author ben mikaelson delivers a poignant coming of age story of a boy who must overcome the effects that violence has had on his life. A native of minnesota, he had been in the juvenile justice system for quite some time, and his wealthy and wellconnected parents usually would get him out of trouble with the law. Fifteenyearold cole is cocky, embittered, and eaten up by anger at his abusive parents. After repeated skirmishes with the law, he finally faces jail time when he viciously beats a classmate. Cole matthews character goes through a transformation in the story touching spirit bear.
Major themes in the novel, touching spirit bear, include justice, the power of nature, the circle of life, anger, and revenge. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. The main character, cole is a fifteen year old boy who lived in minneapolis and he got in trouble with the law most of his life. Edwin, the tlingit elder who oversees coles sentence on. All in all, this was an amazing read and i recommend it to all. Sep 02, 2008 touching spirit bear essay in the book touching spirit bear there are a many themes one of the most evident ones is what goes around come around. A firm that i believe having a christian character will be cisco systems inc. He is the protagonist of the story, but for most of the novel he is busy antagonizing anyone he. Touching spirit bear novel study unit questions and activities. Ben mikaelsons book touching spirit bear was truly magnificent.
Who are all the characters in the novel touching spirit. Feb 28, 2001 troubled teen meets totemic catalyst in mikaelsens petey, 1998, etc. Touching spirit bear is a novel by ben mikaelsen in which cole matthews must fend for himself on an island for one year as penance for assaulting a boy named peter. Touching spirit bear novel study guide by margaret whisnant tpt. One scripture verse that is related character in a christian way is 1 john 4. There may also be rabbits, rats, and moose as food for predators. We will stop periodically and discuss how he has changed. At first, peter driscal doesnt appear as a fullyformed character. In this lesson, well explore how cole changes throughout the novel, growing from an angry, disaffected youth to a more.
Character analysis touching spirit bear free essays. As you read through the story use the following graphic to help keep track of those changes. Touching spirit bear essay in the book touching spirit bear there are a many themes one of the most evident ones is what goes around come around. The novel touching spirit bear by ben mikalsen is an excellent resource for teaching various literary elements. The punishment for smashing peter driscals skull into the sidewalk his most recent crime is harsh. Book prezi touching spirit bear by hannah powers on prezi. When i received my package in the mail i was exited to start reading. Touching spirit bear chapter 1 cole matthews knelt defiantly in the bow of the aluminum chapter 2 the heavy load of supplies caused the skiff to wallow chapter 3 cole stared sullenly into the fire, then let his gaze chapter 4 by the time cole paused to catch his breath, he chapter 5 once clear of the bay, cole swam even harder.
The islands mountains and lakes make a perfect habitat for bears and wolves. In characteristics cole is angry young man who wants to get attention from his divorced parents. Hetaughtmetobegentleand thati,too,ampartof thecircle. Nov 26, 2015 the feather symbolizes respect and responsibility, no one must speak without it photo by grant macdonald. Hes unrepentant and even though he is facing serious jail time, his kindly parole officer, a man named garvey, gets him into this native american justice program called. Grade touching spirit bear assessment ii teacher answer key.