Watch a Slideshow: Human Computers
Discuss: What tools did NASA’s mathematicians use to do their jobs?
Students will understand the contributions of Katherine Johnson, a Black female NASA mathematician whose work enabled many missions.
Lesson Plan - History Makers: Katherine Johnson
Learning Objective
Text Structure
Profile, Sequence
Content-Area Connections
Social Studies, STEM
Standards Correlations
CCSS: RI.4.1, RI.4.2, RI.4.3, RI.4.4, RI.4.5, RI.4.7, RI.4.8, RI.4.9, RI.4.10, L.4.4, SL.4.1
NCSS: Science, Technology, and Society
TEKS: Social Studies 4.20, Science 4.8
1. Preparing to Read
Preview Words to Know
Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.
- segregation
- trajectory
Set a Purpose for Reading
As they read, have students note details explaining how Johnson made historic missions possible.
2. Close-Reading Questions
1. What details in the article show that Johnson was smart? Johnson skipped several grades in school and earned a college degree. She was hired by Langley Research Center to solve difficult equations needed to test and fly aircraft.
(RI.4.1 TEXT EVIDENCE)
2. How does the author support the idea that Johnson made historic space missions possible? The author says that Johnson’s work helped John Glenn orbit Earth in 1962, helped determine the path for America’s first human spaceflight in 1961, and helped get astronauts home safely from the moon in 1969.
(RI.4.8 REASONS AND EVIDENCE)
3. What is the main idea of the section “An Inspiration for All”? This section’s main idea is that Johnson finally got recognition for her work in 2016, when a film was made about her and other Black female NASA mathematicians.
(RI.4.1 MAIN IDEA)
3. Skill Building
FEATURED SKILL: Text Evidence
Use the Skill Builder “All About Katherine Johnson” to have students complete a biographical profile of Johnson.
(RI.4.1 TEXT EVIDENCE)
Text-to-Speech