Outcomes:
Non-chronological Reports, formal persuasive letter, informal letter, diary entry, character descriptions, newspaper report (opinion piece)
Main Outcome:
Memoir of Dorothy Vaughan
Length:
14+ sessions, 3 + weeks
Overview and Outcomes:
This is a 3-week sequence using Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly and illustrated by Laura Freeman in which children learn about the achievements and determination of these four iconic women at key moments in American and world history. This provides the inspiring context for children to write for a range of purposes and for different formal and informal contexts. References will be made to the Young Readers Edition of the text (which can be read in conjunction) as well as the 2016 movie directed by Theodore Melfi of the same name.
Synopsis of Texts:
Based on the New York Times bestselling book and the Academy Award–nominated movie, author Margot Lee Shetterly and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award winner Laura Freeman bring the incredibly inspiring true story of four black women who helped NASA launch men into space to picture book readers!
Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden were good at math…really good.
They participated in some of NASA's greatest successes, like providing the calculations for America's first journeys into space. And they did so during a time when being black and a woman limited what they could do. But they worked hard. They persisted. And they used their genius minds to change the world.
In this beautifully illustrated picture book edition, we explore the story of four female African American mathematicians at NASA, known as "colored computers," and how they overcame gender and racial barriers to succeed in a highly challenging STEM-based career.
"Finally, the extraordinary lives of four African American women who helped NASA put the first men in space is available for picture book readers," proclaims Brightly in their article "18 Must-Read Picture Books of 2018." "Will inspire girls and boys alike to love math, believe in themselves, and reach for the stars."
Links:
Space, space-travel, space race, African-American, feminism, women in science, NASA
