Powered by create your own unique website with customizable templates. 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. While waiting for the courts decision cole, the boy, was kept in a detention center. On this island, coles rage and isolation lead him to a brazen attack on the spirit bear of native american legend, and the clumsy assault ends with cole mauled nearly to death, desperately clinging.
The plot was amazing and the events were very interesting. Ben mikaelsen won the international reading association award, the western writers of america spur award, and many state readers choice awards. What did cole matthews do to peter to be faced with this decision. Dedication this book is dedicated to buffy, a sevenhundredpound black bear who has become my own spirit bear. Because cole treated peter with respect towards the. He taught me to be gentle and that i, too, am part of the circle. Its the same genetic mutation that gives humans red hair. This middle grade novel is an excellent choice for tween readers in grades 5 to 6, especially during homeschooling. Hetaughtmeto be gentleand that i, too,ampart of the circle. A while after the attack, the spirit bear tamely approaches and comes within inches of coles face.
This book was recommended as we are going to canada soon to see spirit. Coles parole officer offers him an alternativecircle justice, an. Title of a book, article or other published item this will display to the public. Ben and his wife, melanie, live in a log cabin near bozeman, montana, with a 700pound black bear they have adopted and raised for the last seventeen years. Theme touching spirit bear book report there are many themes to this book. Touching spirit bear study guide contains a biography of ben mikaelsen, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full. Touching spirit bear research project yoders classroom. Touching spirit bear summary cole matthews is a teenage delinquent whos in big trouble for beating up a kid named peter driscal. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Create a list of 10 key facts that you learned about the tlingit culture that you believe are important to know or may allow you to make connections to the story. Garvey says its pronounced like a towel without the l. How long does it take to get from drake to the island in the skiff.
Interactive journal prompts touching spirit bear blog prompts instructions for creating and managing your class blog touching spirit bear daily quote. Ben mikaelsen born december 8, 1952 is a bolivian american writer of childrens literature. This is a long way of explaining that touching spirit bear is the book i wished i. Fifteenyearold cole is cocky, embittered, and eaten up by anger at his abusive parents. Soon cole finds himself on a remote alaskan island in tlingit territory, banished for a year, overseen by. My complete unit, full of tons of fun and engaging activities. At age 15, cole has already been in and out of police stations, detention centers, and residential treatment centers, but now his violent temper has gotten him into really serious troublehes been arrested for smashing a classmates head to. I rated this book five out of five stars because it discuss topics that student go through to especially in middle school classrooms. Use the web sites below to answer the following questions and fill in blanks. Rescue josh mcguire, hyperion books for children, 1991. Cole matthews is a teenager with a troubled childhood. 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. Whatever you do to the animals, you do to yourself. Their scientific name is ursus americanus kermodeii.
Cole reaches out to touch the bear and grabs a tuft of white hair from its back. Kermode bear visits spirit bear cam this almost pure white kermode spirit bear visited the spirit bear cam, summer of 09. Most kermodes have some color in their white fur, this one is almost pure white, except the seallike grey streak down the back. Kermode visits spirit bear cam follow the white kermode. Dedication this book is dedicated to buffy, asevenhundredpound black bear who has become my own spirit bear. Ben mikaelsons book touching spirit bear was truly magnificent. The main guy is a boy who has anger issues and ends up beating a friend severely.
He beats up one of his classmates, a boy named peter, and as a result of this beating, peter has permanent damage. Educators need to wake up to the fact that encouragement is a much more. Simile it was nearly the beginning of may, but still the icy water pierced coles skin like millions of tiny needles. 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. It features a mighty bear rising above a building, mouth wide, open fangs visible. Cole is always angry, at his parents, at other people, and about how much he hates his life.
Spirit bears are easily recognized by their white fur, but, contrary to common belief, theyre not albinostheyre actually a rare subspecies of the black bear, born with a genetic mutation that gives them white coats. 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. He is routinely abused by his father and the abuse leads to a deep, constant anger that cole cant control. Touching spirit bear book report by tyler miller on prezi. Touching spirit bear scavenger hunt reading and writing academy mrs. After i read this book i really just wanted to read more. Sent to a remote alaskan island as part of an alternative program after attacking a classmate, cole matthews has a chance to straighten out his life. Find books like touching spirit bear from the worlds largest community of readers. Touching spirit bear vocabulary, free document download.
They share the same characteristics as other black bears except that they have white or creamy fur, brown eyes, dark nose pads, and nearly white claws. Thats what happens to the main character in ben mikaelsens touching spirit bear, and now he has to deal with the consequences. A book about mistakes, and anger, healing and forgiveness. So while it should be a novel that most readers can get through, the thematic issueslike child abuse, violence, and mortalitymight not. Troubled teen meets totemic catalyst in mikaelsens petey, 1998, etc. Spirit bear although an animal, the spirit bear is a truly central character in this novel. Cole is profoundly moved by the bear s peacefulness. The bear defended itself and caused cole many wounds and broken bones 18. Touching spirit bear is a pretty simple book to follow in terms of writing style and vocabulary, but it does deal with some very heavy issues.
After his anger erupts into violence, cole, in order to avoid going to prison, agrees to participate in a sentencing alternative based on the native american circle justice, and is sent to a remote alaskan island where an encounter with a huge spirit bear changes his life. This manipulative and violent young offender is given one more chance. Touching spirit bear book touching spirit bear questions. This gripping, graphic survival story from an awardwinning writer paints an unsparing picture of one violent teen and. After severely injuring peter driscal in an empty parking lot, mischiefmaker cole matthews is in major trouble. Touching spirit bear is a novel by ben mikaelsen in which cole matthews must fend for himself on an island for one year. Choose from 500 different sets of touching spirit bear chapter 1 reading flashcards on quizlet. Edwin and garvey come to check on cole, and find him close to death, with mosquitoes and decay all around him. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new customers receive 15% off your. This is a quiz based on you knowledge of the book touching spirit bear by ben mikaelsen.
This free graphic organizer is from my touching spirit bear novel teaching pack. What follows is a tale of justice and redemption in the wilderness of an island. During his stay in the detention center he was asked to apply for circle justice. Learn touching spirit bear chapter 1 reading with free interactive flashcards. Dedication thisbookisdedicatedtobuffy, asevenhundredpoundblackbearwho hasbecomemyownspiritbear. Touching spirit bear ben mikaelsen, lee tergesen isbn. His mother witnesses the abuse but generally does nothing to stop it, leading cole to. Goodreads members who liked touching spirit bear also liked. Research project we will be conducting research projects that go along with ideas that we have touched on in regards to touching spirit bear. 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.
When he leaves a bear cub motherless on a hunting trip, josh is forced to hide out in the mountains to protect the cub. In his napra nautilus awardwinning novel touching spirit bear, author ben mikaelson delivers a poignant comingofage story of a boy who must overcome the. Touching spirit bear by ben mikaelsen librarything. Joshs father uses alcohol to deal with the death of his oldest son. This really got the students interested and wanting to read more but i stopped there to get them more motivated for the next chapter. 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. You walk into the bookstore looking for the novel touching spirit bear by ben mikaelsen, and you see a myriad of signs at the end of each aisle. Hetaughtmetobegentleand thati,too,ampartof thecircle. His presence on the island is almost mythical since spirit bears are supposed to live somewhere southeast of the island. Cole matthews is a teenage delinquent whos in big trouble for beating up a kid named peter driscal. But instead of jail time, cole is given another option. Ben mikaelsens novel touching spirit bear is about a 15 year old boy named cole. In touching spirit bear, cole matthews is an angry, outofcontrol minneapolis teen, the son of wealthy, abusive alcoholic parents, convicted of viciously beating a classmate.
After repeated skirmishes with the law, he finally faces jail time when he viciously beats a classmate. Touching spirit bear story setting authorbenmikaelsen. All in all, this was an amazing read and i recommend it to all. The boy is mauled and then healed by the touch of the spirit bear who is perhaps a reflection of the worldspirit or god. At fifteen, cole matthews has been fighting and stealing for years. Cole was alone and badly hurt by the bear in the island, with nothing to eat and unable to move. Its a fun way to keep your child entertained and engaged while not in the. When cole gout mauled by the spirit bear what animal did. This assignment will help to familiarize you with some of the topics in touching spirit bear, the first novel we will read. 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.
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