Worksheets"David's Old Soul" by Nikki Grimes
Total questions: 10
Worksheet time: 20mins
The poem "David's Old Soul" by Nikki Grimes is a golden shovel of what famous poem?
"The Negro Speaks of Rivers" by Langston Hughes
"Hope" by Georgia Douglas Johnson
"To a Dark Girl" by Gwendolyn Bennett
"We Wear the Mask" by Paul Laurence Dunbar
How is "David's Old Soul" by Nikki Grimes organized?
8 stanzas with 1 line each
1 stanza, 8 lines total
2 stanzas, 8 lines each
0 stanzas, 8 lines total
Identify the figurative language:
"So I stand tall like a tree..."
irony
onomatopoeia
simile
metaphor
Identify the figurative language:
"I try to be the raft that helps carry them over this life's rough rivers"
allusion
pun
metaphor
simile
What is a possible theme in "David's Old Soul" by Nikki Grimes?
CHOOSE TWO!
David has to be strong for his younger siblings.
Don't judge others before you get to know them.
Being mature means learning to help and care for others.
Difficult events can give us deep strength.
"But now that our family has / dwindled to just Mom and us kids, I've grown / into a man"
What is the meaning of dwindled as it is used in this excerpt?
driven
dealt
decreased
increased
What has helped David understand what it means to have an "old soul"?
having to take responsibility for his siblings
moving away from home
becoming frustrated with his mother
discovering his true name
How does the line Grimes borrows from "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" relate to the ideas of this poem?
by showing how difficult times can give us deep strength
by comparing David to historical figures
by showing David discovering a troubling secret
by showing how people often take a long time to discover who they are
"So I stand strong like / a tree my baby brothers can lean on. I try to be the / raft that helps carry them over this life's rough rivers."
What is the effect of David comparing himself to a "tree" and a "raft?"
it shows how difficult life can be
it shows that he helps others
it shows how he feels used by others
it shows how he would like to escape
Which poem do you prefer?
The Original!
"The Negro Speaks of Rivers" by Langston Hughes
The Golden Shovel!
"David's Old Soul" by Nikki Grimes
