Touching Spirit Bear Chapter 1 - 8

Assignment

PRE-READING

Look at the cover of the book. Read the title and description on the front.

Predict what you think the book will be about:

Now read the first paragraph of the book. What can you learn from this exposition?

Who?

Does what?

Where?

Why?

Good readers question what they read before, during, and after reading. What were
two questions you had about the story after you read the first paragraph?

1.

2.

Read the excerpt just inside the front cover. The elder says that there is much to be
learned from animals. What connections can you make to this statement?

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CHAPTER ONE & CHAPTER TWO JOURNALS~ THINKING ABOUT CHARACTERIZATION

Authors tell you about their characters (called characterizing) either directly or indirectly.
Character traits are what the character’s personality and belief system is like, not his or her
physical appearance.

 Physical Traits= what a person looks like or a description of his role, position, or status

EX: “Peter Driscal was a ninth grader…the skinny red-haired boy.”

 Direct Characterization = The author states clearly a quality.

EX: Marcus is a caring person.

 Indirect Characterization = The author implies a quality. The reader must infer it.
o What the character says (or doesn’t say!)
o What the character does (or doesn’t do!)
o What the character thinks
o What the character feels

EX: “The only person who insisted on visiting regularly was Garvey, the stocky youth
probation officer, who stopped by the detention center almost daily.”

Garvey is being characterized as persistent and caring.

Brainstorm a list of 15 character traits. Think about your personality, people you know,
and characters from books, tv, or movies to help generate your list.

Character Traits

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As you read Chapters 1 and 2, pay attention to how Cole is characterized. Fill in the chart with
his character traits and the evidence from the story that led you to your inference.

Character Trait Textual Evidence for the Trait (give a quote and a page number)

Text-to-Self Connection: What thoughts do you have as you read the first two chapters?

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CHAPTER THREE & CHAPTER FOUR JOURNALS~ THINKING ABOUT SENSORY DETAILS

Sentence 1: The island had lots of trees. It was foggy. Cole saw a cabin in the
middle.

Sentence 2: “The distant green-black forests were shrouded in gray mist. Cole
spotted the tiny shelter that had been built for him near the trees, above the
shoreline.” Ch. 2

What is the difference between the two sentences about the island?

When writers use vivid descriptions of how things look, smell, feel, taste, and sound,
they are using sensory details. These details help the reader experience more closely
what the character is experiencing, and help the reader to form better mental pictures
as they read (called imagery.)

Change the following bland descriptions into vivid descriptions that use sensory
details. Try to use each sense (hearing, sight, smell, taste, touch) at least once.

1. The waitress delivered our pizza.

2. The child cried.

3. I entered the room and saw a mess.

4. There was music playing.

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 Touching Spirit Bear is full of sensory details. As you read Chapters 3 and 4, be
on the look-out for sensory details. When you are done reading, fill in the chart with
five examples of sensory details. (Score bonus points if you can find one for each of
your five senses!)

Quote of the sensory detail and page # sense

“He stared back into the crackling, red-hot flames …” Ch. 3, Hearing, touch

In Chapter 3, Garvey makes Cole taste many ingredients by themselves, and then
taste all the ingredients together in a cake. Cole asks, “So what does all this prove?”
What do you think? What point was Garvey trying to teach Cole?

Read the last paragraph in Chapter 4. What does this tell you about Cole?

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CHAPTER FIVE & CHAPTER SIX JOURNALS~ THINKING ABOUT PROTAGONISTS AND ANTAGONISTS

The protagonist in a story is the main character. Many times, this character is
thought of as the hero, but this is not always the case. The antagonist in a story
refers to who or what opposes or works against the protagonist, creating a conflict.
Sometimes there is more than one antagonist, depending on which part of the
conflict you focus on.

At this point in the story, who is the protagonist?

At this point in the story, who or what is the antagonist?

Explain why you chose that person or thing as the antagonist.

As you read Chapters 5 and 6, think about who or what the antagonist(s) is (are).

In Chapter 5, when Cole swims away from the island, what is his antagonist?

The Circle Justice meeting in Chapter 6 and some of Cole’s flashbacks are pretty
intense. After these scenes, did your opinion about who or what Cole’s antagonist is
change? Why or why not?

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When questioned about what he thinks should happen to Cole, Peter says, “I think someone

should smash Cole’s head against a sidewalk so he knows how it feels.” Do you think Peter is
justified when he says this? Why or why not?

Text-to-Self Connection: What thoughts do you have as you read Chapter 5 and 6?

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CHAPTER SEVEN & CHAPTER EIGHT JOURNALS~ THINKING ABOUT FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE & PLOT

Throughout the story, the author has used figurative language to beautifully describe
what is happening. For each of the following phrases, give the type of figurative
language used: hyperbole, idiom, metaphor, personification, or simile.

1. “My parents are divorced and don’t give a rat if I live or die.”

2. “There are only two things wrong with me- everything I do and everything I say.”

3. “Inch by inch the billowing flames devoured the supplies and the shelter.”

4. “The flames of the burning shelter rumbled like a freight train.”

5. “You think life’s a game…you think I’m a big joke!”

As you read Chapters 7 & 8, look for and record examples of figurative language.

Quote Type of Figurative

Language

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Chapters 7 & 8 are the first chapters not to have flashbacks to scenes in Minneapolis.
Why would the author have this change in style?

Consider Chapters 7 and 8 as a story unto itself. What would each plot element be?

Exposition:

Rising Action:

Climax:

Falling Action:

Resolution:

Read the last paragraph of Chapter 8 again. How are Cole’s thoughts different from
his previous thoughts?

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