Lesson 8: Hidden Figures, Chapter 7, and “Tuskegee”

Turn and Talk

Have students take out their homework annotations in Chapter 7 and “Tuskegee.” Partners should sit shoulder-to-shoulder so both students can glance at their notes.

Say these directions: Turn and talk with a partner to discuss your response to the following question.

• Ask: What did you notice in your homework reading about struggle and success in Chapter 7 and in the poem “Tuskegee”?

  • In Chapter 7, I noticed that the women’s work had to be precise because the wind tunnel data helped improve wartime airplanes. In the poem, I noticed proud language about Black strength, learning, and achievement when Leslie Pinckney Hill wrote, “Build we our best. By hand and thought, they cry . . .” Both texts show success, but the chapter explains the work step by step while the poem celebrates it.

Connection to Today's Learning

• Say: We have started thinking about what the two texts share and how they differ. Now, we’ll learn about some words and phrases that can help us connect ideas across texts.

In this section, students analyze relationships between ideas across texts and express those relationships using precise comparative language, moving from separate ideas to a sentence that synthesizes ideas.

Language Study

Say these directions: As we analyze relationships and connections across texts, it is helpful to use precise language to compare and synthesize ideas. Review the table below and notice the words and phrases that can be used to show similarities and differences.

Display and briefly review comparative language in the table.

Precise Comparative Language

Synthesis means we connect ideas across texts using words that show relationships.

Display:

• Say: We can use these words and phrases to create a statement that synthesizes the connections between ideas in Hidden Figures Chapter 7 and the poem, “Tuskegee.”

Model a Synthesized Sentence

Display the sentence and guide students as they notice the comparison it makes between the text and the poem. Prompt students to use the following questions to guide their analysis:

Synthesized Sentence:

• While both texts show Black achievement under pressure, the poem emphasizes strength and pride, and Chapter 7 focuses more specifically on the precise calculations that led to improved airplanes.

Deconstruct the Sentence

• Ask: Which part of the sentence names the similarity?

  • “While both texts show Black achievement under pressure,” names what the texts have in common.

• Ask: Which word signals that the sentence is about to show a difference?

  • The word while signals a contrast.

• Ask: What information from each text is being compared, and how is it used as evidence in the sentence?

  • Chapter 7 shows precise calculations that improved airplanes, and the poem shows strength and pride. These details are used as evidence to show how each text develops the idea differently.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: In the rest of the lesson, you will be synthesizing information from two texts. As you write and speak, remember to use comparative language to clearly show how the texts are connected and how they are different.

Part A: Compare Struggle and Triumph Across Texts (RL.6.9) (15 minutes)

Say these directions: We are going to use a Venn diagram to organize details from both texts that connect with the concepts of struggle, triumph, or achievement. In the left circle, record details from Chapter 7. In the right circle, record details from “Tuskegee.” In the center, record details that convey the same ideas across both texts.

Teach: Comparing Approaches, Not Just Topics

• Say: When we compare two texts, we are not only asking, “Are they about something similar?” We are also asking, “How does each text present that topic?” In Hidden Figures, Chapter 7 uses explanation and factual detail to show that precise calculations in the wind tunnels led to discoveries that improved wartime airplanes. In the poem about Tuskegee Institute, the speaker reflects on hard work, hope, and uncertainty about the future. The poem includes strong imagery of labor but also questions whether that work will lead to freedom. So, the shared topic might be progress through hard work, but the approaches are different. One text highlights clear results through science, while the other expresses hope along with doubt about whether success will be achieved. As you fill in your Venn diagram, keep asking yourself, “What idea is shared, and how does each text present it differently?”

• Ask: In the section describing the wind tunnels, how do the women’s precise calculations lead to discovery or improvement, and how does the author present that idea?

  • In the wind tunnel section, the women’s calculations have to be exact because the data show how air moves around a plane. Shetterly presents this idea through clear explanations and factual details, showing how their numbers lead directly to improvements in airplane design. This makes their work feel practical and important, because it solves real engineering problems.

• Ask: In the poem about Tuskegee, what does the speaker suggest about hard work and its outcome, and how is that idea presented?

  • The speaker suggests that hard work is important and full of hope, but its outcome is uncertain. The poem shows people building and working (“engines throb,” “anvils ring”), which emphasizes effort and determination. However, the speaker also asks questions and worries that injustice could undo their progress. This idea is presented through imagery and a reflective tone, showing both hope and doubt rather than guaranteed success.

• Ask: What idea belongs in the center of your Venn diagram, and how do the texts present it differently?

  • The center idea is that progress comes through hard work and persistence, even when challenges exist. In Chapter 7 of Hidden Figures, this idea is presented through facts, data, and clear results in engineering. In the poem, it is presented through imagery and questioning, showing hope but also uncertainty about whether that hard work will lead to true freedom.

Part B: Write a Synthesis Response (RL.6.9) (15 minutes)

Quick Write

Teach: Turn Notes into One Clear Explanation

• Say: Now I will model how to move from a Venn diagram to a short written response. Notice that I don’t copy everything I wrote in the diagram. Instead, I choose the strongest shared idea and one detail from each text to support that idea. Next, I write a synthesis sentence that combines what Chapter 7 says and what the poem says, using a comparative word or phrase such as “while” , “both”, or “in contrast” to connect them. Then I add a final sentence that answers the question, “So what does this comparison suggest?” This last step shows my thinking, not just my notes, and turns it into a true synthesis response.

Say these directions: Use your Venn Diagram to write a four-to-five-sentence response that synthesizes your comparisons across the two texts. Include at least one detail from each text and use comparative words or phrases such as both texts show, while, or in contrast to connect ideas.

• Both texts show that Black achievement comes from hard work, talent, and persistence. In Hidden Figures, the women’s careful math helped improve airplanes during the war, showing how science solves real problems. Chapter 7 explains discoveries step by step, while the poem “Tuskegee” focuses on pride, strength, and the people behind the progress. Together, they show success through both results and recognition of people’s achievements, even when facing enormous challenges and obstacles.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: Think about our unit question, “How do curiosity, evidence, and collaboration lead to discovery?” Write three to four sentences explaining what the comparison between Chapter 7 and “Tuskegee” helped you to understand about struggle and triumph. Use at least two specific details, one from each text.

• Comparing the two texts helped me see that triumph can look different depending on the genre. In the section about the wind tunnels, Chapter 7 shows that the women’s precise calculations helped improve wartime airplanes, so their data led to real discoveries. In the poem, the speaker praises Black strength and learning, which makes triumph feel emotional and proud. Together, the texts show that achievement includes both the work itself and the recognition that work deserves.

Have students access their copy of Hidden Figures. Instruct students to take notes in their Journal on the following prompt:

• Read the Chapter 8 summary.

• Read and annotate Chapter 9. As you read, look for evidence of the author’s purpose for writing this book.