Touching Spirit Bear Lesson Plan

Touching Spirit Bear chronicles the transformative experiences of a teenage boy, Cole Matthews, when he is banished to a remote island off the coast of Alaska as punishment for a violent assault he committed. While on the island, the Spirit Bear, a rare bear species that is not even usually found on the island, mauls Cole when he tries to attack the bear. Through this terrifying experience, and Cole's subsequent challenges on the island and interactions with the bear, Cole's perspective on his own life and on the world changes. Cole is able to overcome the anger, resentment, and violent tendencies that got him into trouble in the first place, and make amends with some of the people he...