Characteristics of Christ Poems

Isaac, Grade 7

 Well, this post has been a while coming. These poems were written way back in January, but I'm just getting around to writing about them now. A contest came across my desk in January in which the theme was "Jesus is Reflected in Me." We were strongly encouraged to have our students enter the contest. About the same time a bit of divine intervention came across my Facebook feed! Scholastic had a post about poems using all five senses. You can find that post here. The poems had the students write a poem about an abstract feeling or characteristic using all five senses.

I found the a website that listed the characteristics of Christ. Suddenly I had a MAJOR BRAINSTORM!! What if had the students explain how the characteristics of Christ are reflected in them in the form of a poem? The poems could then be entered into the contest that had just landed on my desk and the students would have a taste of abstract nouns and explore the characteristics of Christ more in depth.

Rebecca, Grade 8

 Every student in grades 3-8 wrote a poem which was displayed during Catholic Schools Week. After writing a first draft of their poems, each student either carefully printed poem on Celtic border stationary I found at teacherfiles.com. The older students were given the opportunity to type the poem. Either way, the students decorated their poems any way they wanted.

 The 3rd and 4th grade class was the first to write their poems.They started off by brainstorming traits that Jesus possessed. They came up with LOVE, KINDNESS, FAITH, PEACE, JOY, and HOPE. (I'm going to take a small moment to brag -- those are the very traits I thought they would name!!)

We wrote a poem together using HAPPINESS -- I used a characteristic they couldn't choose so there wouldn't be any temptation. I had them think about things that reminded them of being happy. Then I had them think about things they could feel, taste, smell, see, and hear that reminded them of being happy. I also reminded them to use a lot of wonderful adjectives. This is the poem we wrote as a class...

 Happiness

Feels like snuggling with a furry dog

Tastes like warm pizza

Smells like fresh roses and burning candles

Looks like the smile from a friend

Sounds like jingling coins 

Jesus' happiness is reflected in me.

The students had some trouble writing with such figurative language, but they did a wonderful job in the end!

Kindness
Feels like soft blankets made of sheep wool
Tastes like cookies freshly baked
Smells like spring roses just picked
Looks like people giving money to the church
Sounds like people having a good time.
Jesus' kindness is reflected in me.
~Will, Grade 5

Creation
Feels like cattle with soft fur
Tastes like corn with a sweet crunch
Smells like flowers with a sweet smell
Looks like fall leaves that bring a great color to the world
Sounds like the wind that blows the leaves showing its power from God
Jesus' creation is reflected in me.
~Patrick, Grade 7

Love
Feels like a hug with my mom
Tastes like fresh baked cookies
Smells like fresh brownies
Looks like people hugging
Sounds like someone saying, "I love you"
Jesus' love is reflected in me.
~Gavin, Grade 4

Patience
Feels like a soft, fuzzy blanket that took awhile to sew
Tastes like Grandma's cinnamon bread that has been baking all day in the oven
Smells like flowers' beautiful scents as they are finally blooming in the spring
Looks like babies that take nine months to form in the mother's womb
Sounds like music solos that the performer has been practicing for months
Jesus' patience is reflected in me.
~Olivia, Grade 8

Love
Feels like a furry cat's chin
Tastes like my mom's cooking
Smells like fresh air from the woods
Looks like cute baby kittens
 Sounds like birds singing in the spring
Jesus' love is reflected in me
~Seth, Grade 3

Humbleness
Feels like a hug after an argument
Tastes like humble pie
Smells like an "I'm Sorry" bouquet
Looks like a handshake
Sounds like saying "I'm sorry"
Jesus' humbleness is reflected in me
~Olivia, Grade 6

 Love
Feels like holy water that we bless ourselves with
Taswtes like hosts that we receive during Holy Communion
Smells like the sweet roses on a summer day
Looks like the crucifix about the altar in church
Sounds like God's wonderful nature
Jesus' love is reflected in me
~Daniel, Grade 7

Gentleness
Feels like  the peaceful, calm winds during a warm spring day
Tastes like warm, delicious cookies you have for a snack
Smells like fresh, red roses from the rose bush by my house
Looks like the colorful, beautiful sunsets at the end of each day
Sounds like the kind and generous words that people say to one another each day
Jesus' gentleness is reflected in me.
~Anna, Grade 8