Main character of the book touching spirit bear

Cole isnt really physically described but he is characteristically. Cole matthews is a teenage delinquent whos in big trouble for beating up a kid named peter driscal. It is hard to meet and it doesnt try to hurt human unless human attack first. Cole matthews character goes through a transformation in the story touching spirit bear. The spirit bear a mystic bear living on the alaskan island. Cole matthews, the main character in touching spirit bear, is a young boy who is prone to violence. After i read this book i really just wanted to read more. You know, the stuff you just told me makes more sense. Rigor is great, but we also need to set students up for success. Touching spirit bear quotes and analysis gradesaver. Because cole treated peter with respect towards the.

All in all, this was an amazing read and i recommend it to all. It is built along a steep hillside and has a population of 14 500 people. Get an answer for please provide details about the main character of touching spirit bear by ben mikaelsen. Contents epigraph partone touchingspiritbear chapter1 colematthewskneltdefiantlyinthebowofthealuminum chapter2 theheavyloadofsuppliescausedtheskifftowallow.

Edwin, the tlingit elder who oversees coles sentence on the island, isnt exactly someone to. Throughout the course of the novel, cole undergoes a radical transformation. Oct 15, 20 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. 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. The first edition of the novel was published in june 25th 1997, and was written by ben mikaelsen. It focuses on a teenager named cole matthews, who severely injures another boy, peter driscal, in a parkinglot altercation. The main character in touching spirit bear, cole matthews, is an.

Touching spirit bear study guide contains a biography of ben mikaelsen, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Touching spirit bear by daria cheremushkina who is cole mathews. Later in the novel, he spits at edwin while handcuffed and riding to the island for the first time. 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. Cole matthews is the main character in touching spirit bear, and the story is all about his own journey as he lives on a remote alaskan island in order to try to atone for his crimes. See more ideas about touching spirit bear, spirit bear and bear. Cole matthews, the main character, goes on a journey of selfdiscovery and ends up creating a totem pole to explain what he has learned about himself. As coles parole officer, garvey seems to be the only person in his life who continues to believe. Cole matthews definitely the biggest of the main characters in this book. Born in bolivia, he wasnt sent to school until the fourth grade where he was heavily bullied for his. Pdf touching spirit bear book by ben mikaelsen free. Thats what happens to the main character in ben mikaelsens touching spirit bear, and now he has to deal with the consequences. Character sketch cole mathews is the main character in the book touching spirit bear.

Touching spirit bear book report essays in this chapter, the main character and three other characters were introduced. The plot was amazing and the events were very interesting. Even though cole is a bit of a bad boy well, hes a criminal, hes not beyond hope. Peter driscal another main character of the book peter, a red haired, skinny freshman, was always picked on and severely beat up by cole for ratting him out. Pg5 cole was born and raised in minneapolis minnesota. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of touching spirit bear by ben mikaelsen. Hes unrepentant and even though he is facing serious jail. Please provide details about the main character of. Theme touching spirit bear book report there are many themes to this book. What is the conflict of the book touching spirit bear by ben mikaelsen. When i received my package in the mail i was exited to start reading. Cole mathews used to be a violent kid, but a year in exile on a remote alaskan island has a way of changing your perspective. I think middle school students can benefit a lot from learning units in themes. I, like the protagonist cole and the author, have spent a lifetime enslaved to.

Ketchikan is wellknown for its salmon and was originally a fishing village. Touching spirit bear ben mikaelsen i figured youd be here awhile mr. Touching spirit bear is a book that is about a boy named cole that was evil and mean child becoming a nice and helpful child by the. This book was recommended as we are going to canada soon to see spirit. 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. What central problem confronts the main character in touching spirit. Through suffering, loneliness, and the power of rituals, he learns how his anger has contributed to his violent behavior. Touching spirit bear presents a very different culture and way of seeing the world than is common for the typical american audience. What is the character sketch of charley in the third level by jack.

Fifteenyearold cole matthews is the main character of ben mikaelsens novel touching spirit bear. We will stop periodically and discuss how he has changed. Cole is a juvenile delinquent who has done bad things like breaking into a hardware store and smashing a witnesses head onto a sidewalk. Please provide details about the main character of touching spirit.

He hates his parents for the way they treated him and he always blames the others for his problems. Like garvey, edwin has a past that involved confrontations with the law, and this past is what spurs him to give cole chances. At first, peter driscal doesnt appear as a fullyformed character. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 289 pages and is available in paperback format. After being mauled by a spirit bear and eating mice, worms, and even his own vomit to survive, cole started to heal. In this lesson, well explore how cole changes throughout the novel, growing from an angry, disaffected youth to a more. Whatever you do to the animals, you do to yourself.

Jan 11, 2019 why i love teaching touching spirit bear easy reading level. In the novel, touching spirit bear, the main character, cole matthews is sent to live on a remote island off the coast of ketchikan, which is a small town near the southern border of alaska. 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. Cole mathews is the main character in the book touching spirit bear by ben mikaelsen. Touching spirit bear and millions of other books are available for instant access.

How has main character change in touching spirit bear. His head was smashed onto the sidewalk, which left him with permanent brain damage. The main characters of this young adult, realistic fiction story are edwin, cole matthews. All about the author ben mikaelsen born december 8, 1952. He has written a few books inspired by his bear, such as touching spirit bear and the sequel ghost of spirit bear. Please provide details about the main character of touching. Cole matthews, the main character, goes on a journey of selfdiscovery and ends up creating a totem pole to explain what he. 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. In this lesson, well explore how cole changes throughout the novel. He has been writing fulltime since 1984 and lives in anacortes, washington with his wife, connie. The dances, carving the totem, carrying the ancestor rock, touching the spirit bear, it was all the same thingit was finding out who i really was. After severely injuring peter driscal in an empty parking lot, mischiefmaker cole matthews is in major trouble.

Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. What is the hardest situation that you have been in that is as close to surviving alone as in. He is the protagonist of the story, but for most of the novel. Touching spirit bear is a coming of age novel by bolivianamerican author ben mikaelson. Cole matthews is banished to a remote alaskan island as punishment for beating his classmate peter driscal almost bad enough to kill him. When we first meet cole matthews, its clear that hes dealing with a ton of anger issues. Touching spirit bear book report by tyler miller on prezi. It was great to see a positive outcome for the main character a much troubled young. In characteristics cole is angry young man who wants to get attention from his divorced parents.

Cole is an innocent looking babyfaced fifteen year old from minneapolis who has been in trouble with the law half of his life. Peter 9th grader who was beaten up brutally by cole after telling the cops cole robbed a store. At the start of the novel, cole is a fifteenyear old convicted juvenile delinquent from minneapolis. 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. Character analysis touching spirit bear free essays. He is a very angry, furious, fierce and violent boy who does not seem to have any control over his anger. Touching spirit bear ben mikaelsen, lee tergesen isbn. Cole matthews is the main character of the novel touching spirit bear. Ben mikaelsen considered buffy a 750pound member of my family.

The novel touching spirit bear by ben mikalsen is an excellent resource for teaching. As you read through the story use the following graphic to help keep track of those changes. Ben mikaelsons book touching spirit bear was truly magnificent. 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. But cole matthews, the protagonist of ben mikaelsens 2001 novel touching spirit bear and of the followup ghost of spirit bear, isnt the kind of guy who. Free download or read online touching spirit bear pdf epub book.