Hidden Figures

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Listening to the Past”

In this activity, students will listen to oral histories from NASA employees and connect them to the narrative they read in Hidden Figures, sharing their findings with the class.

One way to learn about the past is to listen to those who lived it as they reflect on their lives, careers, and experiences. Doing so can help listeners better understand the daily lives of people who were part of larger historical movements.

Working in a group of 3-4 peers, choose one figure from this list of NASA employees:

• Annie Easley
• Betty S. Love
• Jo Dibella
• Milt Silveira
• John W. “Jack” Boyd
• Christopher C. Kraft

After reading the figure’s oral history, note answers to the following questions and prepare a profile of the figure to share with the class.

• What points of comparison can be made to the narratives in Hidden Figures (especially but not limited to the stories of Dorothy Vaughan, Katherine Johnson, and Mary Jackson)?
• How might experiences have differed based on gender, race, and location?
• What are 3 significant takeaways from this oral history?
• What information surprised you?

Introduce your profile by explaining whose oral history you read and their role at NASA; conclude by sharing what you learned from their experience.

Finally, as a class, discuss the following questions:

• How did this activity better your understanding of NASA’s history?
• Why is it important for these stories to be told?
• Should each one of these employees be classified as a “hidden figure”? Why or why not?

Teaching Suggestion: Students might be required to connect the book’s major themes as they prepare their profile, especially Sexism in the Workplace and Racism in the United States. These themes can be noted in each of  these oral histories, as many of the men who worked at NASA experienced great ease when it came to becoming an engineer or advancing within the agency. If students’ access to the internet is limited, oral histories might be printed for their use in advance of the activity session.

Differentiation Suggestion: Auditory learners and English learners may benefit from hearing the oral history read aloud; this task might be split amongst group members. Visual and tactile learners may find it helpful to annotate a printed copy of the oral history with notes, questions, vocabulary or terminology explanations, and reader reactions.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. The meaning of the term “computer” as used in the early parts of this text might surprise the reader.

• How does the meaning of “computer” change over the course of the text? (topic sentence)
• Provide 3 examples of a “computer” in the text. In support of your topic sentence, analyze and discuss the role of each computer in the overall narrative, pointing out how the role changed over time.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, use these examples to summarize the role that technology played in the space race.

2.  The Sputnik launch in 1957 was a success for the Soviet Union.

• What impact did the success of the Sputnik launch have on the US space program? (topic sentence)
• What effects did the Sputnik success have on NACA and then NASA employees, particularly those at the center of Hidden Figures? In three points of analysis that support your topic sentence, discuss the direct effects of the Sputnik mission on the lives of those employed at Langley.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, connect your topic sentence idea to the theme of Perseverance Pays Off.

3. Dorothy Vaughan, Katherine Johnson, and Mary Jackson continued to pave the way for women of color at NASA.

• Overall, what effect did their work have on American history? (topic sentence)
• Using examples from Hidden Figures, explain and analyze the significance of each woman’s legacy.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, connect the theme of Racism in the United States or Sexism in the American Workplace.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. World War II had a significant effect on job roles that women could hold. At different points in this book, the main figures fear that once the conflict ends, they will be expected to return to the roles they held before the war. What was the relationship between World War II and the space race, as lived by the characters in this book? In a 3- or 5-paragraph essay, explore this question and how lasting tensions between the United States and other countries impacted discrimination in the workplace. Include specific text examples that help to develop the themes Sexism in the American Workplace and Racism in the United States.

2. Shetterly begins this text by explaining how she came to write about the topic. How does her explanation connect to and highlight the concept of “hidden figures”? In a 3-paragraph essay, analyze this term and explore the ways that Shetterly works to address it throughout her text. Focus your discussion on strong, specific examples of individuals’ histories within the space race.

3. One of the major themes of this text is Perseverance Pays Off. Shetterly highlights the ways in which Dorothy Vaughan, Katherine Johnson, and Mary Jackson (among others) created a place for women of color at NASA during a time when this group did not have equal rights or protections. In a 3-paragraph essay, discuss the theme of perseverance and the ways in which it can be seen in the lives of the women and in their contributions to America’s race to the moon.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which purpose best describes why Shetterly provides information about each figure’s background?

A) To show that each always excelled

B) To show that each made sacrifices

C) To show that each had a family

D) To show that each had always been interested in space

2. What message does Shetterly imply by titling this book Hidden Figures?

A) Katherine, Mary, and Dorothy wanted their stories to remain secret.

B) The United States government only recently declassified information about the first space missions.

C) The stories of Katherine, Dorothy, Mary, and other women at Langley have not often been told.

D) There are many stories that will never be uncovered.

3. What point does the example of Miriam removing the cafeteria sign serve to illustrate?

A) Langley eventually gave up on segregation entirely.

B) State guidelines about segregation were more lax than federal ones.

C) The computers would be dismissed for breaking rules.

D) The women at Langley worked to stand up to segregation in the ways that they could.

4. How did engineers at Langley respond to new challenges?

A) By giving up and resorting to information from foreign scientists

B) By being resourceful, even if it meant creating new instruments to get better data

C) By using data from other aeronautical stations they would adjust and apply to their work

D) By relying on computers to solve every problem that they were presented

5. Which term describes the initial plans for the housing development in Newport News where Dorothy lived?

A) Stable

B) Underfunded

C) Temporary

D) Empty

6. What fears accompanied “reconversion” in the economy when the war ended?

A) That Nazi Germany would return to power and the world would soon enter another war

B) That the economy would suffer from overpopulation and see conditions similar to the Great Depression

C) That the United States would not be recognized as a global power

D) That women and Black workers would not have the same opportunities they experienced during the war

7. Which two barriers does Chapter 9’s title, “Breaking Barriers,” refer to?

A) The sound barrier and the barriers placed in front of Black and white women at Langley

B) The atmospheric barrier and the barriers placed in front of Black employees at Langley

C) The barriers placed in front of Black and white women

D) The sound barrier and the atmospheric barrier

8. To what event is Shetterly referring when she writes, “…the United States handed the Soviet Union one of the most effective propaganda weapons in their arsenal” (Chapter 10)?

A) America’s inability to put a man on the moon

B) America’s treatment of people of color

C) America’s alliance with Britain

D) America’s attempts to resettle Germany

9. What quality of Katherine’s prompted her colleagues in the Flight Research Division to accept her?

A) Her patience

B) Her intelligence

C) Her husband

D) Her willingness to appease them

10. What was most ironic about Mary needing special permission to attend classes at Hampton High School to become an engineer?

A) Mary had already graduated from Hampton High School once.

B) No one else had to complete additional classes to become an engineer.

C) Mary’s husband was already enrolled in those classes.

D) Had Mary wanted a custodial job, the school would have easily allowed her entrance.

11. Why did Dorothy encourage other women in her division to take electronic computing classes?

A) Dorothy thought it would help them in their day-to-day jobs at the time.

B) Dorothy was hoping to start her own computing firm.

C) Dorothy knew this would give them the advantage of experience with the newest technology.

D) Dorothy wanted to show her leadership skills to the management at Hampton.

12. Which of the following describes the connection between Sputnik and segregation?

A) Many Black employees pointed out that the US was excluding a large part of the population, not allowing them to contribute to the space race.

B) Many Black employees worked on Sputnik in the Soviet Union, giving them a large advantage.

C) Many Black employees were apathetic about the space race because of segregation.

D) Many Black employees saw the United States as too focused on segregation to have time to rival the Soviet Union’s scientific endeavor.

13. Which moment best exemplifies the theme of Perseverance Pays Off?

A) When Mary sends her assistant to a national conference

B) When Dorothy learns how to use electronic computers

C) When Miriam becomes more involved her community

D) When Katherine lobbies to attend meetings

14. Why does Shetterly comment that “sending a man into space was starting to feel like a straightforward task” (Chapter 18) about events in Virginia in 1958?

A) Because Mary struggled to attend classes at Hampton High School

B) Because NASA refused to acknowledge the work of women in its efforts

C) Because rather than integrate, one county opted to close all public schools

D) Because Katherine struggled in her personal life

15.  How did Mary continue to work against Sexism in the American Workplace, even after she switched departments at Langley?

A) Mary ultimately took a job in the United States government.

B) Mary worked toward fair hiring practices for women and people of color.

C) Mary advocated to President Kennedy to end segregation in schools.

D) Mary started a separate government agency to train women and people of color.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. What role did community play in the lives of the women who are central in this text? Explain at least one example.

2. Shetterly suggests that the 1960s ended with hope and accomplishment for the space race in the United States but not necessarily in the civil rights movement. Why might that be?