Touching Spirit Bear Activity Bundle - Creative Novel Activities and Assignments
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Touching Spirit Bear Activity Bundle - Creative Novel Activities and Assignments: Bring your Touching Spirit Bear Novel Study to life with these 15 ready-to-use activities and assignments to help students engage with the novel. The bundle is designed to be interactive, creative, and meaningful, encouraging students to form deep connections to Cole’s story while also developing essential ELA skills. Students will respond to the text through symbolism, restorative justice practices, poetry, creative projects, discussion and structured writing assignments. The variety ensures that all learners can find meaningful ways to process and analyze the novel while meeting curriculum standards.
Included in the Touching Spirit Bear Activity Bundle:
Chapters 1–5:
➡️ Cole Matthews “I Am” Poem Activity: At the beginning of the novel, Cole is consumed by anger and blames everyone else for his problems. In this activity, students write an “I Am” poem from Cole’s perspective. At the end of the novel, they revisit the poem to capture how Cole has changed by rewriting their poem, allowing them to see his full transformation as a dynamic character in his own words.
➡️ Cole Matthews “I Am” Poem Activity: At the beginning of the novel, Cole is consumed by anger and blames everyone else for his problems. In this activity, students write an “I Am” poem from Cole’s perspective. At the end of the novel, they revisit the poem to capture how Cole has changed by rewriting their poem, allowing them to see his full transformation as a dynamic character in his own words.
➡️ Survival Pack Activity: When Cole destroys his supplies and burns his shelter, he loses essential tools for survival. This activity has students brainstorm what they would have brought in a survival pack and explain why.
➡️ Touching Spirit Bear Symbolism Assignment: Symbolism plays an important role in the novel, from the Spirit Bear itself to the at.óow blanket, fire, animals, and the island. In this activity, students track key symbols across chapters and analyze what they represent. By grounding their analysis in text evidence, they see how Ben Mikaelsen uses symbols to convey deeper themes of trust, anger, transformation, and healing.
Chapters 6–11:
➡️ Restorative Justice Lesson & Communication Circles: Teach students about the principles of restorative justice and learn about its Indigenous roots with this ready-to-use presentation. After this background, students participate in structured classroom communication circles modeled on the novel’s Circle Justice, focusing on important themes from the novel. Nonfiction articles and sentence stems are provided for each of the topics.
➡️ Restorative Justice Lesson & Communication Circles: Teach students about the principles of restorative justice and learn about its Indigenous roots with this ready-to-use presentation. After this background, students participate in structured classroom communication circles modeled on the novel’s Circle Justice, focusing on important themes from the novel. Nonfiction articles and sentence stems are provided for each of the topics.
Chapters 12–17:
➡️ At.óow Nonfiction Reading & Creative Blanket Design: The at.óow blanket given to Cole carries deep cultural and symbolic meaning. In this two-part activity, students first read a nonfiction article about the significance of the at.óow in Tlingit culture. Then, they design their own symbolic at.óow blanket, using color, pattern, and imagery to reflect their own style.
➡️ Imagery Analysis & Nature Writing Activity: Students learn how authors use sensory language to bring stories to life. With a presentation that breaks down the five types of imagery (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch), students practice analyzing vivid descriptive passages from Touching Spirit Bear. Using a graphic organizer, they highlight and categorize examples of imagery in the novel and reflect on how this shapes the reader’s experience. Finally, students head outside (or imagine a natural setting) to capture their own sensory details, then weave these into a descriptive paragraph that mirrors Cole’s growing connection to the natural world.
➡️ At.óow Nonfiction Reading & Creative Blanket Design: The at.óow blanket given to Cole carries deep cultural and symbolic meaning. In this two-part activity, students first read a nonfiction article about the significance of the at.óow in Tlingit culture. Then, they design their own symbolic at.óow blanket, using color, pattern, and imagery to reflect their own style.
➡️ Imagery Analysis & Nature Writing Activity: Students learn how authors use sensory language to bring stories to life. With a presentation that breaks down the five types of imagery (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch), students practice analyzing vivid descriptive passages from Touching Spirit Bear. Using a graphic organizer, they highlight and categorize examples of imagery in the novel and reflect on how this shapes the reader’s experience. Finally, students head outside (or imagine a natural setting) to capture their own sensory details, then weave these into a descriptive paragraph that mirrors Cole’s growing connection to the natural world.
Chapters 18–23:
➡️ Meditation Lesson & Reflection Activity: As Cole starts daily practices like cold plunges and carrying the ancestor rock, he discovers the importance of the mind-body connection. In this activity, students are introduced to the practice of meditation, exploring its history, benefits, and role in mindfulness. Students will participate in a video guided meditation and then reflect on the experience using structured discussion prompts.
➡️ Totem Pole History and Animal Carving Symbolism Activity: Students learn about the origins and cultural significance of totem poles from Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest. Then, using a provided template, they create their own “identity pole” that reflects their identity through symbolic animal carvings based on what they learn about animal symbolism in different cultures.
➡️ Meditation Lesson & Reflection Activity: As Cole starts daily practices like cold plunges and carrying the ancestor rock, he discovers the importance of the mind-body connection. In this activity, students are introduced to the practice of meditation, exploring its history, benefits, and role in mindfulness. Students will participate in a video guided meditation and then reflect on the experience using structured discussion prompts.
➡️ Totem Pole History and Animal Carving Symbolism Activity: Students learn about the origins and cultural significance of totem poles from Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest. Then, using a provided template, they create their own “identity pole” that reflects their identity through symbolic animal carvings based on what they learn about animal symbolism in different cultures.
Chapters 24–28:
➡️ Cole’s Scrapbook Project: In this creative project, students document Cole’s transformation throughout Touching Spirit Bear by building a scrapbook that captures pivotal moments in his journey. Pages will focus on the bear attack, cold plunges, ancestor rock, and the anger dance, with each entry including a journal reflection from Cole’s perspective, a meaningful quote, a symbolic object, and a visual element.
➡️ Final Essay Topics: Students conclude the unit by writing a final essay, choosing from ready-to-use prompts. The topics focus on central themes such as trust, responsibility, the role of nature, forgiveness, anger, symbolism, and personal growth.
➡️ Cole’s Scrapbook Project: In this creative project, students document Cole’s transformation throughout Touching Spirit Bear by building a scrapbook that captures pivotal moments in his journey. Pages will focus on the bear attack, cold plunges, ancestor rock, and the anger dance, with each entry including a journal reflection from Cole’s perspective, a meaningful quote, a symbolic object, and a visual element.
➡️ Final Essay Topics: Students conclude the unit by writing a final essay, choosing from ready-to-use prompts. The topics focus on central themes such as trust, responsibility, the role of nature, forgiveness, anger, symbolism, and personal growth.