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A Hidden Figure of the Space Race: Katherine G. Johnson

Classroom Resource Information

Title:

A Hidden Figure of the Space Race: Katherine G. Johnson

URL:

https://www.readworks.org/article/A-Hidden-Figure-of-the-Space-Race-Katherine-G-Johnson/d52c4b49-20f8-4c65-baeb-a222446d8960

Content Source:

Other
ReadWorks

Type:

Learning Activity

Overview:

In this passage, students learn about Katherine G. Johnson. Katherine G. Johnson is probably most known for her work on the orbital mission of John Glenn. He was set to be the first American to orbit around the Earth. But he did not trust all of the electronic machines that would control the path of his spaceship. These machines would sometimes malfunction. Glenn asked the engineers for Katherine G. Johnson’s help. He trusted her to check every single mathematical equation. She checked the numbers, and Glenn’s mission was a success! Now, there is a movie called Hidden Figures that tells the true story of how she and two other brilliant African American women made sure this mission was a triumph.

A vocabulary activity and question set are included with the passage.

Content Standard(s):

Social Studies
SS2010 (2010)
Grade: 6
United States Studies: The Industrial Revolution to the Present

8 ) Describe how the United States' role in the Cold War influenced domestic and international events.

• Describing the origin and meaning of the Iron Curtain and communism

• Recognizing how the Cold War conflict manifested itself through sports

Examples: Olympic Games, international chess tournaments, Ping-Pong diplomacy

• Identifying strategic diplomatic initiatives that intensified the Cold War, including the policies of Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and John F. Kennedy

Examples: trade embargoes, Marshall Plan, arms race, Berlin blockade and airlift, Berlin Wall, mutually assured destruction, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Warsaw Pact, Cuban missile crisis, Bay of Pigs invasion

• Identifying how Cold War tensions resulted in armed conflict

Examples: Korean Conflict, Vietnam War, proxy wars

• Describing the impact of the Cold War on technological innovations

Examples: Sputnik; space race; weapons of mass destruction; accessibility of microwave ovens, calculators, and computers

• Recognizing Alabama's role in the Cold War (Alabama)

Examples: rocket production at Redstone Arsenal, helicopter training at Fort Rucker (Alabama)

• Assessing effects of the end of the Cold War Era

Examples: policies of Mikhail Gorbachev; collapse of the Soviet Union; Ronald W. Reagan's foreign policies, including the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI or Star Wars)

Unpacked Content

Strand: Economics, Geography, History, Civics and Government

Course Title: United States Studies: The Industrial Revolution to the Present

Evidence Of Student Attainment:

Students:

Compare and contrast democracy and communism.
Describe the origins and meaning of the Iron Curtain.
Recognize the emerging roles of the super powers in influencing cultural, economic, and military changes throughout the world.
Recognize Alabama's role in the Cold War.
Summarize how the Cold War influenced domestic and foreign policy.

Teacher Vocabulary:

Cold War
domestic
international
Iron Curtain
communism
democracy
embargo
blockade
diplomacy
strategic diplomatic initiative
proxy war
destruction
invasion
crisis
weapons of mass destruction
Strategic Defense Initiative

Knowledge:

Students know:

How the role the U.S. played in the Cold War influenced domestic and foreign policy.

Skills:

Students are able to:

Appraise the value of technological advances during the Cold War.
Cite specific textual evidence to analyze the influence of the super powers on cultural, technological, and political changes during the Cold War.

Understanding:

Students understand that:

The United States played an important role in the Cold War and this influenced U.S. domestic and foreign policy.

Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards

AAS Standard:
SS.AAS.6.8- Define the Cold War; identify how after World War II, the United States became a military superpower and a leader in world affairs along with the Soviet Union; identify at least one goal and at least one challenge of the United States during the Cold War.
SS.AAS.6.8a- Identifying Alabama's role in the Cold War.

Tags:

Cold War, Hidden Figures, John Glenn, Katherine G Johnson, Space Race

License Type:

Custom Permission Type
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Accessibility

Text Resources: Content is organized under headings and subheadings

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This resource provided by:

Author:

Ginger Boyd

ALEX Classroom Resource

A Hidden Figure of the Space Race: Katherine G. Johnson