Ben Mikaelsen’s Touching Spirit Bear shows up on middle school and high school reading lists because it works where a lot of literary novels fail: reluctant readers finish it. Cole Matthews holds adolescent readers from the first chapter, and the novel’s themes give readers and homeschool students plenty to analyze and debate. This page covers the reading schedule (for the reading quizzes and discussion sets) and lesson/activity ideas.
Why Touching Spirit Bear Works in the Classroom or Homeschool
Reading Level and Accessibility
Touching Spirit Bear carries an upper-grade interest level with approachable reading metrics, which makes it an ideal choice for developing or resistant readers without feeling like a concession.
- Lexile: 730L (approximately Grade 5 reading level)
- Accelerated Reader interest level: upper grades
- Accelerated Reader book level: 5.3
- DRA: 60
- Guided reading level: Y (Grade 6)
For homeschool families, the Lexile of 730L makes Touching Spirit Bear a strong independent read for students in grades 6 through 9. The reading level keeps the focus on ideas rather than decoding, which frees up time for discussion and writing.
Engagement
Cole Matthews, 15 years old, faces real consequences for real violence and deals with family trauma that many adolescent readers recognize. Nothing kills a developing reader’s interest faster than a protagonist who feels too young or too safe. Cole never feels safe. The novel’s unflinching moments (the bear attack, Cole’s survival tactics, the totem carving) generate the kind of engagement that sustains a five-week literature circle or a whole-class unit.
Themes Worth Teaching
Mikaelsen builds the novel around ideas that reward close reading: restorative justice versus punitive justice, the cycle of abuse and violence, the relationship between isolation and self-knowledge, and the possibility of genuine change. Each of these themes connects naturally to discussion, writing, and research activities.
Content Advisory
The novel contains child abuse, a severe animal attack, a suicide attempt, and references to adolescent trauma. Preview before assigning at the lower end of the grade range.
Reading Schedule for Touching Spirit Bear
The five-reading schedule below divides the novel into sections of roughly equal length. Each section pairs with reading quizzes and discussion questions at the links below. Page numbers reflect ISBN 13: 9780439401845.
- Reading 1: Chapters 1–5 (pages 3–46)
- Reading 2: Chapters 6–11 (pages 47–92)
- Reading 3: Chapters 12–17 (pages 93–146)
- Reading 4: Chapters 18–23 (pages 147–194)
- Reading 5: Chapters 24–28 (pages 195–240)
Reading 1: Chapters 1–5
What Happens
Cole Matthews boards a skiff heading for a remote Alaskan island as part of a Circle Justice agreement. The reader learns gradually about his assault on Peter Driscal, his family, and his complete lack of genuine remorse. On the island, Cole burns his shelter and supplies, attempts to swim to freedom, and encounters the Spirit Bear for the first time.
Sample Quiz Question
From the Touching Spirit Bear Reading Quizzes:
Cole’s parole officer tries to teach Cole a lesson using… A. Bicycle parts. B. Musical instruments. C. Hats and costumes. D. Cake ingredients.
Sample Discussion Questions
From the Touching Spirit Bear Discussion Questions:
- Garvey describes Circle Justice as a process that focuses on healing rather than punishment. Do you think the goal of the justice system should center on healing, punishment, or something else entirely? What does your answer depend on?
- Cole burns the shelter, the supplies, and nearly the at.óow on his first night on the island. He knows this guarantees suffering. What does this act reveal about his state of mind? Does it read more like self-destruction, defiance, or something else?
Lesson Idea: Circle Justice vs. Criminal Justice
Circle Justice gives every person in the room a voice: the offender, the victim, the families, the community, and the judge. The standard criminal justice process does not. Have students research how restorative justice programs work in American schools and courts, then compare the two systems. A Socratic seminar built around the anticipation guide statement “Prison represents the best way society can deal with people who harm others” pairs naturally with this reading and sets up discussion that carries through the entire novel.
Reading 2: Chapters 6–11
What Happens
The second Circle Justice meeting concludes with Cole’s banishment approved. On the island, Cole builds a spear, attacks the Spirit Bear, and suffers a near-fatal mauling. He lies helpless for days, watching a mother sparrow feed her young, drinking his own urine to stay alive, and arriving slowly at a decision to live not for revenge but to make things right.
Sample Quiz Question
From the Touching Spirit Bear Reading Quizzes:
Which statement accurately describes Cole’s first fight with the bear? A. It is only a dream. B. Cole is holding his own until he trips and falls. C. Cole successfully scares the bear. D. Cole is easily defeated.
Sample Discussion Questions
From the Touching Spirit Bear Discussion Questions:
- Cole’s mother sits silent through Circle Justice, holding the feather without speaking. How much responsibility does she carry for what Cole has become? Does fear excuse silence in a situation like this?
- While lying near death, Cole realizes he wants to live. Not for revenge, not to prove anyone wrong, but to make things right. What shifts in him at this moment? Does a near-death experience give a person moral clarity, or does it just produce temporary emotion that fades?
Lesson Idea: Imagery and the Natural World
Mikaelsen uses the natural world to mirror Cole’s inner state throughout this section. The mother sparrow feeding her young enrages Cole rather than moving him. The ocean nearly kills him. The Spirit Bear walks away after the mauling without finishing the job. Have students identify three moments in Chapters 6–11 where a natural image connects to Cole’s emotional or psychological state, then write a short analysis of one. This works equally well as a Socratic seminar prompt or a written response for homeschool students.
Reading 3: Chapters 12–17
What Happens
Fishermen rescue Cole and fly him to a hospital. Six months of surgeries follow. His mother presses charges against his father for child abuse. A second Circle Justice meeting convenes, and Edwin arrives unexpectedly to argue for a second chance on the island. Cole returns for a yearlong second banishment and begins Edwin’s teaching in earnest: the cold pond, the ancestor rock, and the first dances.
Sample Quiz Question
From the Touching Spirit Bear Reading Quizzes:
Edwin makes his case to Circle Justice by… A. Performing a traditional dance. B. Showing photos of Spirit Bears. C. Pushing Cole to the ground. D. Asking everyone to lift and carry Cole.
Sample Discussion Questions
From the Touching Spirit Bear Discussion Questions:
- Edwin uses simple physical demonstrations throughout his teaching: the ancestor rock, lifting Cole, the at.óow, the hotdog. He skips lectures and therapy sessions. Do you think this approach to teaching and healing can work? What does it require from the student that traditional instruction does not?
- Edwin reveals that his own Circle Justice took place on this same island when he was young. How does knowing Edwin’s history change the way Cole receives his guidance? Does a mentor need to have struggled personally to teach effectively?
Lesson Idea: Tlingit Culture and Totem Pole Traditions
Garvey identifies as Tlingit, and the at.óow he gives Cole carries generations of family history. Edwin’s teaching methods draw on Indigenous traditions of healing through connection to land, community, and ritual. Before Reading 3, have students research Tlingit culture, totem pole traditions, or Indigenous restorative justice practices. The Sheldon Museum’s Tlingit resources and the Native American Rights Fund’s peacemaking resources provide solid starting points. Students can then analyze how Mikaelsen incorporates or simplifies these traditions in the novel.
Reading 4: Chapters 18–23
What Happens
Edwin and Garvey return to the island with Cole for the start of his second banishment. They introduce the dances: hawk, wolf, and bear. Garvey departs after giving Cole a hunting knife. Cole builds his cabin, establishes his daily routine, and begins carving a totem pole. He discovers that a clear mind allows animals to approach without fear, and the Spirit Bear reappears peacefully.
Sample Quiz Question
From the Touching Spirit Bear Reading Quizzes:
Cole discovers that the best way to become invisible to animals requires… A. Covering his scent. B. Watching them from a tree. C. Having a clear mind. D. Wearing dark clothing.
Sample Discussion Questions
From the Touching Spirit Bear Discussion Questions:
- Garvey gives Cole a hunting knife as a parting gift and says, “That knife is like life: it can destroy you or help you heal.” Cole has already used a knife as a weapon against the Spirit Bear. How does the same object carry different meaning at different points in the novel? Find another object in the novel that Mikaelsen uses this way.
- Cole leaves a blank space at the bottom of his totem. He knows he has not yet earned the final carving. What does this blank space represent at this point in the novel? What do you predict he will carve there, and why?
Lesson Idea: Symbolism Tracking
Reading 4 gives students access to most of the novel’s major symbols: the Spirit Bear, the at.óow, the ancestor rock, the totem, the circle, the knife, the dances, the cold pond, Cole’s scarred arm. Have students maintain a symbolism tracker across the reading (a simple two-column chart works well: symbol and what it represents at this point in the novel). Revisiting the tracker at the end of Reading 5 generates strong writing topics and Socratic seminar material. For homeschool students, this tracker works as a standing assignment across the final two readings.
Reading 5: Chapters 24–28
What Happens
Edwin tells Cole that Peter has attempted suicide. Cole proposes bringing Peter to the island. Peter arrives angry and refuses to participate for weeks. Slowly, through the ancestor rock, the dances, and shared carving, the two boys find a way forward. Peter attacks Cole at the pond; Cole does not fight back. They carve the final space on the totem together.
Sample Quiz Question
From the Touching Spirit Bear Reading Quizzes:
The first time Peter actually participates on the island, he… A. Pushes the rock down the hill. B. Goes fishing. C. Sits in the frigid water. D. Dances the anger dance.
Sample Discussion Questions
From the Touching Spirit Bear Discussion Questions:
- Cole proposes bringing Peter to the island. Edwin resists. Cole argues that helping Peter will also help himself. Is this selfless, selfish, or both? Does a person’s motive for doing good matter if the outcome helps someone who needs it?
- At the end of the novel, Cole and Peter carve a circle together in the blank space at the bottom of the totem. Does the ending feel earned, or does it feel too neat? What does Mikaelsen risk by ending on a symbol of resolution?
Lesson Idea: The Totem as Character Arc
Cole’s totem pole functions as a physical record of his transformation. Each carving connects to an animal he has observed and a lesson he has internalized. Peter’s destruction of the bear carving, his secret replacement, and the final circle the two boys carve together form a complete narrative arc in miniature. Have students write a short analytical essay: choose three carvings from the totem (or three moments in the totem’s history) and explain what each one reveals about Cole’s development as a character. Alternatively, have students design their own totem with three figures and written explanations of what each represents about their own values or experiences. Both options work well for whole-class instruction and for homeschool portfolios.
Teaching Touching Spirit Bear: Two Modes
Literature Circles
The five-reading schedule works naturally for a five-week literature circle cycle. Each reading runs just under fifty pages, giving students with different schedules room to manage the pace. Steer developing readers toward Touching Spirit Bear as a literature circle choice: the Lexile keeps the reading accessible while the themes and content hold upper-grade interest. The reading quizzes keep everyone accountable without requiring daily check-ins from the teacher.
Whole-Class Instruction
Whole-class instruction gives more room for the lesson ideas above: the Circle Justice research project, the imagery analysis, the Tlingit culture investigation, and the totem essay all work better when the class moves through the novel together. The discussion questions support Socratic seminar at every reading section, and the anticipation guide sets up a pre-reading conversation that pays off at the end of the novel.
Homeschool
Homeschool students can read Touching Spirit Bear independently with strong comprehension support from the reading quizzes and discussion questions. The symbolism tracker and totem essay both work as independent writing assignments. The novel’s themes around justice, healing, and personal responsibility generate rich conversations between students and parents or co-op groups without requiring elaborate preparation.
Resources for Teaching Touching Spirit Bear
The Touching Spirit Bear Reading Quizzes page offers all 50 multiple-choice chapter questions across all five readings, free to cut and paste or download as PDF. DOCX format, the chapter-by-chapter question bank (4–5 questions per chapter), and the answer key require purchase.
The Touching Spirit Bear Discussion Questions page offers an anticipation guide, six discussion questions per reading section, and ten whole-novel questions for book clubs and literature circles. All free.
Related Posts: Touching Spirit Bear Full Catalog
- Touching Spirit Bear Reading Quizzes: Chapter Questions for All 5 Readings
- Touching Spirit Bear Discussion Questions: Open-Ended Questions for All 5 Readings
- Touching Spirit Bear Full Catalog
M. Towle is a veteran Language Arts and Social Studies teacher with fourteen years of classroom experience in urban schools in Los Angeles and Philadelphia. M. Towle holds an M.A. in Holocaust and Genocide Studies and is the founder of TeachNovels.com.