Touching Spirit Bear

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Inner Animals”

In this activity, students prepare an infographic based on research for an Alaskan animal, then analyze and discuss the animal’s potential symbolic meaning in comparison with the Spirit Bear’s.

Research an animal of your choice that lives in the Alaskan wilderness, being sure to use reputable sources.

• Create a physical infographic of what the animal eats, where it lives, its living habits, and its physical characteristics.
• Using the information you’ve collected, draw, paint, or carve/sculpt your animal, interpreting it in your own way.
• Finally, in a brief paragraph, indicate what you believe the animal would symbolize if it were to represent some idea, trait, or story. Detail your rationale and explain the ways in which this animal’s symbolic value compares to Cole’s Spirit Bear.

Teaching Suggestion: During his time on the island, Cole learns to appreciate and become one with the wildlife around him. He also learns the values of Tlingit culture and the importance of animals in symbolizing important characteristics. In choosing their animals, students may search for one that means something to them and that resonates with how they see themselves or the world; that said, the novel emphasizes that there is something to learn from every animal.