Is there a simile in chapter two in the book touching spirit. Life is all about making decisions, learning and growing from them, and transforming to become more of who you. Theme touching spirit bear book report there are many themes to this book. Touching spirit bear is a book that will really tug at the heartstrings. This guide includes comprehensive study of the novel, and covers many standards through indepth reading and analysis of the novel, and leaves students with a true appreciation for the themes of the book. The three themes in touching spirit bear are anger, religion, and truth. He deals with fierce cold and hunger, and when he has the terrible idea to lash out against spirit bear, cole finds out what really happens when you mess with a wild animal. For example, touching spirit bear uses four different conflicts throughout the novel to make it more exciting and better to read. This is a sequel to touching spirit bear which was a very good book. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read touching spirit bear.
Rigor is great, but we also need to set students up for success. I arrived in the island seeing a wood, one room hut that would somehow hold all my supplies, school work, personal belongings, and myself. Touching spirit bearessay on symbolism and theme by. In spirit bear cole learns ways to control his emotions when he is by himself. Jan 11, 2019 why i love teaching touching spirit bear easy reading level. Student team literature standardized reading practice test touching spirit bear harper trophy, 2001 directions choose the word that means the same, or about the same, as the underlined word. 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. I just finished ghost and we will read this one to start our new school year. The reason i choose the song the saints are coming is not because of the music.
Be sure to read both novels and share with teens everywhere. The main character in touching spirit bear, cole matthews, is an angry young. He also starts getting more in touch with nature by doing animal spirit dances every night and carving his own totem pole. 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. Touching spirit bear ben mikaelsen dedication this book is dedicated to buffy, a sevenhundredpound black bear who has become my own spirit bear. Touching spirit bear study guide contains a biography of ben mikaelsen.
Student team literature standardized reading practice test. Youll be asked questions about how cole realizes that hes powerless, the central theme of the book that ties all the other themes together and the person who is the target of coles anger and violence in the story. Touching spirit bear by ben mikaelsen reinforced, prebound for sale online probably the most graphic book ive ever read, but its excellent. Despite the fact that it resembles a more advanced book, touching spirit bear has low reading level metrics teaching touching spirit bear is ideal with developing or resistant readers. This time he caught peter driscal in the parking lot and smashed his head against the sidewalk. Touching spirit bear ebook written by ben mikaelsen. In his napra nautilus awardwinning novel touching spirit bear, author ben mikaelson delivers a poignant comingofage story of a. Touching spirit bear doesnt shy away from descriptions of harrowing violence, whether its talking about spirit bear tearing open coles flesh or cole bashing peters head into the pavement. As soon as garvy and edwin left me on to my abandonment, i started thinking about how i spent about three months locked up, heavily guarded, 24hours a day watched. He has written a few books inspired by his bear, such as touching spirit bear and the sequel ghost of spirit bear. One time my parents went to mousurri and i got to stay home alone so me and my buddies went camping and had to catch fish to eat and start a fire with out a lighter and had a good time. Touching spirit bear by ben mikaelsen librarything. Character analysis touching spirit bear free essays. In touching spirit bear by ben mikaelsen, what is the one theme that is at the center of the book and brings the other themes together.
The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 289 pages and is available in paperback format. In this lesson, we will discuss how these themes play into the story. This novel study project was developed by the regional. Touching spirit bear is a book that is about a boy named cole that was evil and mean child becoming a. 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. Beat it this is an upbeat song representing coles healing and friendship with peter at the end of the book. We read the book s prequel touching spirit bear and the students loved it. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of touching spirit bear by ben mikaelsen. At the beginning of the book there is a kid named keith and he was one of the schools biggest bullies. Touching spirit bear tells the story of cole matthews a troubled youth whom struggles with anger. Touching spirit bear is a coming of age novel by bolivianamerican author ben mikaelson.
It focuses on a teenager named cole matthews, who severely injures another boy, peter driscal, in a parkinglot altercation. This could be in the form of a computer based book trailer, a picture book, a collage poster, or even a scrapbook which can include actual items collected along coles healing journey each item from youre az list must be represented 26 pics. In touching spirit bear, cole matthews is definitely facing a formidable foe when he arrives on the deserted island in alaskaand he finds himself immediately at the mercy of the elements. Why i love teaching touching spirit bear easy reading level. Touching spirit bear complete 224page teaching guide for touching spirit bear by ben mikaelsen is aligned to the common core standards for grades 78. In the ghost of spirit bear by ben mikaelsen, a lot of characters grow and change. Touching spirit bear is a book that is about a boy named cole that was evil and mean. Free download or read online touching spirit bear pdf epub book. Why did cole spit at the spirit bear when it returned. The author explores different means to achieve justice in this novel. Touching spirit bear study guide contains a biography of ben mikaelsen, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
Science fiction adventure biography nonfiction fiction mystery poetry. Touching spirit bear essay bundle 4 informative ccss aligned. Flashback, foreshadowing, symbol, theme, and allusion flashback an interruption in the action to present events that took place at an earlier time. In chapter of touching spirit bear, cole is with nurse rosey in the city of drake, but is unable to get to a hospital. This mentions the quote we are more together which is like the wolf pack. He has been writing fulltime since 1984 and lives in anacortes, washington with his wife, connie. Contents epigraph partone touchingspiritbear chapter1 colematthewskneltdefiantlyinthebowofthealuminum chapter2 theheavyloadofsuppliescausedtheskifftowallow. Why the book was chosen i chose ghost of spirit bear purposefully it is the sequel to touching spirit bear by ben mikaelsen. This is a pictorial essay for the book touching spirit bear 1. In this fiction novel keith would bully the two main characters, cole and peter. This can be seen as the turning point as coles parents refuse to bail cole out of trouble. Sep 06, 2006 i read that the author claimed that touching spirit bear was not based on the controversial reallife tlingit banishment case that hit the national news a few years before his book. True, the spirit bear was an important part in coles healing but it is not the main theme of the story i agree with matt h that the them of the story is the healing of cole and peter. The major theme of the book is that you need to overcome your past before you can move forward.
Instead of respecting spirit bear, though, cole tries to kill himwhich leads to the bear. There are many themes for the book touching spirit bear. Touching spirit bear teaching guide packet distance. Several weeks earlier, edwin, the tlingit elder from drake, had built a sparse oneroom wood shelter for cole on the island. About touching spirit bear touching spirit bear summary. We will be sharing and comparing our themes in small discussion groups. He tells of a story of a real spirit bear that he saw on the island, but. One day while at school cole viscously beats peter. Touching spirit bear book report by tyler miller on prezi.
Jan 29, 2010 what songs would go with the book touching spirit bear. Touching spirit bear chapters 14, 15, and 16 summary and. Touching spirit bear by ben mikaelsen is a provoking story about cole matthews, a young man who beats up another boy. Can provide information that helps readers understand a characters current situation. Touching spirit bear chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4 summary and. In touching spirit bear, garvey tells cole that he should create his own totem pole that.
Cole matthews is banished to a remote alaskan island as punishment for beating his classmate peter driscal almost bad enough to kill him. The question and answer section for touching spirit bear is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. It shows the results of circle justice once the banishment is overreally takes hold. Teaching touching spirit bear is ideal with developing or resistant readers.
In the book touching spirit bear there are a many themes one of the most evident ones is what goes around come around. After i read this book i really just wanted to read more. This middle grade novel is an excellent choice for tween readers in grades 5 to 6, especially during homeschooling. 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 after severely injuring peter driscal in an empty parking lot, mischiefmaker cole matthews is in major trouble. Get an answer for what is a theme of touching spirit bear and textual evidence that explains the theme. It helped students grasp the concepts of restorative justice. In touching spirit bear, we learn of coles time in circle justice through flashback. Sample a another word for diminished is a increased b decreased c expanded d diverted 1. 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. What songs would go with the book touching spirit bear answers.
I personally cant make any connections to cole but i feel like he is just lost and cares but trys to hide it so he can be a big tough guy. 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. Japanese proverb contents epigraph part one touching spirit bear chapter 1. This quiz and worksheet is a helpful way to assess your knowledge of the themes present in touching spirit bear by ben mikaelsen. Cole matthews knew what he did was wrong but the anger deep inside him kept him on this path. 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. Now, peter may have permanent brain damageand cole is in the biggest trouble of his life. Touching spirit bear cole matthews is a teenage delinquent whos in big trouble for beating up a kid named peter driscal. Choose a theme that you think touching spirit bear has and explain why you think this theme can be found in the story. At the start of the novel, cole is a fifteenyear old convicted juvenile delinquent from minneapolis. 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. He taught me to be gentle and that i, too, am part of the circle.
Touching spirit bear is a book that is about a boy named cole that. This summer i read touching spirit bear by ben mikaelsen, and while the lexile level is only 670, the themes in the book are complex and are ones that many middle school students will be able to relate to in some way, shape, or form. Touching spirit bear presents a very different culture and way of seeing the world than is common for the typical american audience. The first edition of the novel was published in june 25th 1997, and was written by ben mikaelsen. Apr 20, 2010 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. He is sentenced to time on an island as a way of healing. What is the themes in touching spirit bear answers.
There are so many fun, interactive activities to do with your class to bring the reading to life. Despite the fact that it resembles a more advanced book, touching spirit bear has low reading level metrics. After severely injuring peter driscal in an empty parking lot, mischiefmaker cole matthews is in major trouble. Another important theme of the story is redemption, and the fact that a person can always have a second chance to redeem themselves. What would you have chosen prison or wilderness for a year, and why. Touching spirit bear is one of my absolute favorite read alouds. Ben and his wife, connie, live in a log cabin near bozeman, montana, and they adopted a 700pound black bear that they raised for 27 years. Using the dominant traits of characters, or recurring beliefs or themes in novels. Get an answer for what is the major theme in touching spirit bear. This guide includes comprehensive study of the novel, and covers many standards through indepth reading and analysis of the novel, and leaves stud.
Because cole treated peter with respect towards the. In his napra nautilus awardwinning novel touching spirit bear, author ben mikaelson delivers a poignant comingofage story of a boy who must overcome the. Click on the link above to learn more about the theme of a story. 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. When i received my package in the mail i was exited to start reading.
I think that cole will either throw his spear or stab the spirit bear, but right after the he does the spirit bear comes at him and attacks him. The story, touching spirit bear, has different possible themes. Ben mikaelsons book touching spirit bear was truly magnificent. The plot was amazing and the events were very interesting. What is the hardest situation that you have been in that is as close to surviving alone as in the book. The native american traditions described within the book are quite unique in terms of their world view and their emphasis on the role of nature. Pdf touching spirit bear book by ben mikaelsen free. The wilderness island setting for coles banishment and the indian traditions surrounding the place demonstrate the centrality of nature to understanding the environment, culture, and personal healing. A fantastic novel to follow touching spirit bear by the same author. He most recently has been put in detention for violently hitting and assaulting a classmate named peter driscal who had turned cole in for robbing a store.
It features a mighty bear rising above a building, mouth wide, open fangs visible. In this lesson, well talk about major themes in the story. Thing is, coles entire life has been a cycle of violence. The book touches on a lot of themes, including isolation, violence, and personal transformation. Maud hart lovelace book award minnesota nevada young readers award. The next time youre reading a novel, think about what conflicts are in the plot, and what the plot would be without them.
In awardwinning author ben mikaelsens riveting sequel to the acclaimed word ofmouth bestseller touching spirit bear, readers will be captivated by what. Nature is a pervasive theme in touching spirit bear. In characteristics cole is angry young man who wants to get attention from his divorced parents. I agree that the spirit bear gives him a new look at life because he is changed with the way he sees things 2. Ben mikaelsen considered buffy a 750pound member of my family. Touching spirit bear summary supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Other essay topics available at my store for the novel touching spirit bear are. Cole is prone to having outburst which inevitably leads to his fate.