1. Shalom

Follow the Raindrop

This lesson reinforces practical familiarity with the Shalom Matrix.

Follow the Raindrop engages students in physically exploring the path taken by rainwater as it travels across school property, actively considering the pollutants it gathers and their effects downstream. Teaching this activity encourages students to reflect on questions concerning our responsibility for pollutants and their effects on others.

At the close of the Follow the Raindrop activity, you might see if students can draw the Shalom Matrix on a blank sheet of paper from memory (the Shalom Matrix can be found on Slide 2 of the Chemistry and Shalom slides). Once they have tried, you can display the matrix for them to check against their work. After they’ve corrected any discrepancies in their matrix, they can go back through Follow the Raindrop, placing each element of the activity on the matrix.

For this lesson’s debrief, focus on whether students made any new connections from this activity.