Spirit Bear Theme Moodle

Hola click on thelink below to go to my theme wordle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/2812354/Touching_Spirit_Bear_Theme_Wordle

Chapter 17 & 18 Summary

In chapters 17 and 18 of Touching Spirit Bear Cole learned some very important lessons. He learned that no matter what, your anger is with you. It will always be there, you have to focus on happiness instead. Cole also learned some very helpful ways of releasing his anger and frustration. Edwin showed him a pool that he used to soak in to clear his mind when he was banished to the island. Edwin also showed him a way to learn from his ancestors. What Cole did was he carried this rock, called the ancestor rock, to the top of a very large hill. The rock was his ancestors and the hill was his life. It showed him that his ancestors helped guide him through life and shared their experiences with him. Once he got up to top of the hill he set down the rock. At that point, it changed to represent his anger.  Cole pushed the rock down the hill and watched his anger roll away. One other thing he did was at the end of the day after dinner, he danced. Everywhere around him there were powers like animals, seasons, and emotions. Each had something to teach him. Earlier that morning he had seen a group of humpback whales breaching, so that night he danced the whale dance. Cole learned something from his dance that night; whales migrate but never have a home. Cole shared that feeling.

Chapters 15 & 16

            Cole tried to convince the Circle Justice that he really had changed. No one bought it.  It reminded me of the boy who cried wolf. Cole had lied so often, that no one believed him when he was telling the truth. Luckily, Cole had two very trustworthy people on his side that fought for him, Edwin and Garvey. Miraculously, they were able to convince the Circle to release Cole into their hands.  Cole went back to Southern Alaska, to the island where he had been mauled by a bear not even a year before.  He rode an aluminum skiff back to the island.  Cole, Garvey, and Edwin unloaded supplies and ate over a campfire.  Cole was taught something special that night, as they all celebrated while sharing a hotdog. Cole learned that everything is what you make of it. If you choose to eat your normal, monotonous, hotdog that is all it will be, a hotdog. If you choose to share it and make it a celebration, it is something special, something much more than just a hotdog- it’s life.

Reflection of Chapters 13 & 14

Cole was safe (at least from the wilderness) in a hospital in Ketchikan. Cole had broken ribs, maybe a broken pelvis, a broken arm and leg, and hypothermia. This was all from his two day visit to the island. Cole was airlifted to Minneapolis, where he recovered, then had to face his parents, Peter Driscal, and the Circle Justice.  Six months later, Cole’s ribs, leg and arm had healed, although he would never regain full mobility of his arm. Cole was released from the hospital and moved to a detention center.  After a week of visits from Garvey and his mother, Cole is attending his first Circle Justice meeting since his return from the island. All the Circle members are convinced that since Cole broke his contract his case should no longer be handled by the Circle.  Now Cole has to persuade them that he actually has changed and that they should let him go back to the island.

            I believe that Cole really has changed. He used to be like Two-Bit from the Outsiders, always wanting to get the last word. Now, I think he is just a kid that wants to make up for what he’s done to the community.  He has been blaming everyone else for everything that has gone wrong and he finally realizes that it was his fault.

Chapter 11 & 12 Reflection

 

           Cole wakes up with the spirit bear towering over him. Expecting to die, Cole at least wants to touch the creature that is going to kill him. He reaches up and feels the bear’s soft fur, then his warm, solid body. He feels something else that he can’t explain - trust. For once in his life, Cole has established trust with someone. Cole also realizes that there is beauty in the world; you just have to stop and look. At the end of the chapter Cole is about to cross the line between life and death when Edwin and Garvey find him and rush him back to the mainland to get taken care of.

            People get angry for many reasons. One time I got angry because I was tired and everyone was telling me what to do. My house was loud and obnoxious; I got so frustrated I had to go outside for some peace and quiet. I think this happens to Cole sometimes, only he doesn’t have a safe place to go and calm down. Instead he takes his anger and frustration out on other people.

            Everyone has a right to express themselves as they see fit, as long as it doesn’t negatively impact anyone else.  Everyone also has a right to their own opinion. I personally agree that actions speak louder than words, “anger is a memory never forgotten”, it's not important what others think and kids whose parents mistreat them will probably, in turn, mistreat their own kids. Something that I don’t agree with is that people never change.

            I don’t agree with this because people can change. A traumatic experience can often turn someone’s thinking around, so that they view the world in a different way. People can also learn from their mistakes and change. For example, when I annoy my older brother too much he gets mad at me.  So I learned from my mistake and I only annoy him to the point just before he gets really mad.  I think people can change and it’s a good thing we have the capacity to learn from our mistakes.

Touching Spirit Bear Chapters 9-10 Summary

Cole Matthews has been banished to an island off the coast of Alaska and has been mauled by a spirit bear. Cole is lying, stuck, unable to move, in the forest, alone, on the verge of dying. Even as Cole is dying he still lies to himself. He insists on thinking that it is everyone else’s fault that he is on the island, and got mauled by a bear, when actually, it is his fault. This is an example of one of the four major conflicts, Man vs. Self. He was the one who attacked Peter, which put him in Juvenile Hall, which gave him two choices, Circle Justice or jail. Cole was also the person who attacked the spirit bear, which made the bear’s self defense instincts kick in.

Cole also faces the problems of starvation and survival. That is an example of one of the four major conflicts, Man vs. Nature. Cole had to eat grass, worms, a caterpillar and other bugs to keep from starving to death. Cole learned that food makes energy, which makes life. So if you want to stay alive you need food.

Chapter one and two reflection of Touching Spirit Bear

Touching Spirit Bear

Chapters 1&2

In chapters one and two of Touching Spirit Bear you get a good sense of the main character, Cole Matthews. Cole is a 15 year old boy who grew up in Massachusetts. He’s grown up neglected by his two drunk, divorced parents. He’s been a juvenile delinquent for a good half of his life. He mainly robs and wrecks stores. His crimes have gotten increasingly worse as time passes.

Cole needs to learn some of the Native American’s Ten Commandments.  This would help with his behavioral issues.The first Commandment says that you should treat the Earth and everything on it with respect. This is one thing that Cole doesn’t do very well.  He lashes out at people every chance he gets. Cole has some anger issues that he can’t seem to control. Even with counseling. The problem is he doesn’t want to change his ways and adapt new habits.

 One other very important Commandment is Commandment number nine. It says that you should be truthful and honest at all times. Now Cole has some problems with telling the truth. He’s lied his whole life about almost everything. He’s lied to keep himself out of trouble, like when he is a suspect in a store robbery. He’s also lied in the past to get what he wants. Telling the truth and being honest with people would be a very hard concept for Cole to learn, especially because he doesn’t trust anybody.

There is one last very important Commandment. It is number 10. The 10^th Commandment states that you should take full responsibility for your actions. Cole never takes responsibility for his actions. He just blames all of his problems on everybody else and hates them, when who he really should hate is himself. He is the one who can’t seem to accept what happened in the past has happened and that he should move on. Cole releases all of his anger at everybody by doing evil things to them, like robbing and destroying their stores and homes.

Touching Spirit Bear

           Okay, so i'm a student in 7th grade at Loveland Middle School. in Language Arts class we aare reading Touching Spirit Bear. We are supposed to reflect on the chapters we read here on our blog.