Lesson 24: Discovering Hidden Innovators, Generating a Research Topic

Activate prior learning by reminding students that they have been reading about hidden contributors and considering why some individuals’ work has been overlooked. Frame this lesson as the launch of the research project, where students move from general understanding to selecting a focused topic and forming a research question. Emphasize that today’s work is about planning the investigation by identifying a specific innovator and their contribution. Reinforce that strong researchers begin with clear, focused questions that can guide meaningful research.

Say these Directions: Research is the careful process of asking a focused question, gathering accurate information from reliable sources, and using evidence to build understanding.

• Ask: When have you done research in the past? Share the process you went through to find your research.

Explain that a research project is a longer investigation in which students organize what they learn, explain it clearly in writing, and present it to others. Emphasize that accurate and complete research matters because incomplete information can keep important people and ideas hidden.

Research Task

You will research a scientist, engineer, or innovator whose work shaped our understanding of Earth or space but whose story is not widely known.

Your research writing will:

• use at least two credible sources

• paraphrase and cite evidence

• explain one key contribution

• use precise STEM vocabulary and formal academic style

• write a short argument paragraph about why the innovator deserves recognition

• create visual supports for a final presentation

Performance Task Snapshot

Briefly review the Performance Task that students will do to complete the unit. Explain that students will review this handout more closely in future lessons.

This rubric will guide your research essay and final presentation work across the unit.

Turn and Talk

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

• Ask: Why does accurate research matter when we tell someone’s story?

  • Accurate research matters because if we only know part of a story, we may leave out the person’s real contribution. Careful research helps us make better decisions about what is true and helps us give recognition to people whose work changed science or society.

Connection to Today's Learning

• Say: Now that we know why research matters, we are going to learn how strong researchers begin with questions that actually lead to discovery.

This mini-lesson teaches students how to turn a simple interest into a precise, open-ended research question using how and why and by nominalizing verbs into formal academic nouns.

Sentence Expansion

Display and read:

• Dorothy Vaughan worked with computers.

This tells a topic, but it is not yet a research question. A strong research question explains what we want to learn and why it matters.

Teach: Expanding into a Research Question

• Say: In this lesson, we expand a simple idea into a research question. We do this by turning actions into academic nouns (nominalization), using how or why to open the question, and adding words that show significance, like contribution or impact.

Model and Deconstruct

Display Revised Question:

• How did Dorothy Vaughan’s contribution to computer programming advance NASA’s work?

  • Ask: What word at the beginning makes this an open-ended question? (how)

• Ask: What action from the original sentence was turned into a noun? (Worked becomes contribution.)

  • Ask: Why do we use the word contribution instead of worked? (It sounds more formal and shows importance.)

• Ask: What does the question ask us to explain? (how her work helped or changed NASA’s work)

  • Ask: How is this stronger than the original sentence? (It turns a topic into a focused question that can guide research.)

To build a strong research question, we:

• start with how or why

• turn actions into academic nouns (like worked → contribution)

• include a clear topic and its impact

This helps us ask questions that lead to deeper research.

Connection to Today's Learning

• Say: You will use this information to form a research question and explanation that explains what you want to learn and why it matters.

Part A: Narrow a Research Path (W.6.7) (15 minutes)

As needed, frontload the lesson to clarify what makes a project “conductable.” Describe research readiness criteria. Explain that a strong research topic is:

• focused on one person or a contribution

• narrow enough to research in a short project

• supported by multiple credible sources

• connected to a meaningful impact on science or society

Say these Directions: Researchers usually do not start with a perfect topic. They begin broadly, sort possibilities into categories, and then narrow to a topic that is interesting, manageable, and likely to have reliable sources. Below are three research pathways for this unit:

1. Research other hidden figures in science

2. Research other hidden figures in innovation

3. Deeper research on a NASA computer

Teach: Model Narrowing a Topic

• Say: I know I am interested in space, but space is far too broad for one project. When I sort that interest into the three pathways, I notice that deeper research on a NASA computer gives me a clearer starting point. I could choose Dorothy Vaughan because I already know she made an important contribution, and I can probably find more than one reliable source about her work. I also want to make sure the topic isn't too broad, so one person is better than all of NASA. That tells me my topic is both interesting and researchable.

Give One, Get One

Use this routine to help students generate options from prior knowledge and hear additional ideas from peers before narrowing.

Draw students’ attention to the Give One, Get One graphic organizer.

Say these Directions: In the Give One, Get One graphic organizer, number each row so that each row corresponds to a pathway as listed above. In the first column, write at least one possible topic you could research within that pathway. Next to one promising topic, add two kinds of credible sources you might use later, such as a book, a NASA article, a museum profile, or an encyclopedia entry. Remember, not all sources are equally reliable. Strong researchers look for sources that are written by experts or trusted organizations. Then, you will exchange ideas with a partner, taking notes in the second column.

• Ask: Which research path feels most promising to you right now, and what makes it research-worthy?

  • The NASA computer path feels most promising to me because I already know some background from Hidden Figures, and that gives me a starting point. A person like Dorothy Vaughan has a specific contribution I can investigate, and I can probably find at least two credible sources about her leadership and programming work.

As needed, direct students to restate a partner’s idea, determine whether the topic focuses on a specific person or contribution, and suggest one way to narrow or clarify the topic. Reinforce that at this stage, students are determining whether a topic is focused, meaningful, and possible to research, which prepares them for later research steps.

Part B: Choose a Research Topic (W.6.7) (15 minutes)

Transition students from exploring multiple possibilities to selecting one clear research direction. Clarify that students must now commit to a topic and refine it into a focused research question. Emphasize the shift from general interest to investigating a specific contribution and its impact. Reinforce that a strong research question will guide all future research and writing in the unit.

Teach: Describe and Justify Research Topic

A strong research topic choice includes both description and justification. Description shares the topic being researched. Justification explains why that topic matters and deserves attention. In this unit, you will not only report information; you will also argue that a hidden innovator deserves recognition.

• Say: I could write, “I want to research Dorothy Vaughan because she worked at NASA,” but that only describes her. I need to justify why her story matters. I am going to revise my idea to “This research will investigate how Dorothy Vaughan’s leadership and computer programming contributions advanced NASA’s work during a time of major change. Although she is not widely recognized, her work mattered because it helped NASA adapt to new technology and opened doors for others.” Now I have chosen a topic, along with a description and justification, to guide my research.

Think-Pair-Share

Say these Directions: In the top box of your Research Notes graphic organizer, write a focused research question and a two-to-three-sentence explanation that tells what contribution you plan to investigate and why this innovator deserves recognition. Then you will share with a partner, and your partner will say whether the research question is clear and focused, explain whether the justification shows why the topic matters, and suggest one way to improve precision or clarity.

• My topic is Mary Jackson. My research question is “How did Mary Jackson’s engineering contribution advance aeronautics at NASA?” Her contribution deserves recognition because her work helped improve flight research, and her success challenged unfair limits on who could belong in engineering.

Say: When you explain why your innovator deserves recognition, you are beginning to answer our Essential Question—how research helps us build a fuller and more accurate historical record.

Monitor student work for alignment between topic, research question, and justification. Provide feedback that pushes students to move beyond simple description and clearly explain significance. Reinforce that this work establishes a clear research direction and prepares students to gather and analyze information in upcoming lessons.

Quick Write

Use this final writing task to capture each student’s current topic direction and readiness for the next lesson. Look for:

• Student states a clear research pathway

• Student writes a how or why research question

• Student includes at least two academic vocabulary terms

• Student explains impact (not just topic)

Say these Directions: In two to three sentences, explain which research path you are leaning toward and why. Include your draft research question and use at least two academic words from today’s lesson, such as contribution, innovation, recognition, discovery, or advancement.

• Ask: What topic are you most likely to research, and how does your question help you investigate a hidden contribution instead of just listing facts?

  • I am most likely to research a NASA computer because that path connects to what we have already learned in Hidden Figures. My question, “How did Dorothy Vaughan’s contribution to computer programming advance NASA’s work?”, helps me investigate a specific contribution and explain why her work deserves recognition instead of only listing dates and facts.

Optional Sentence Starter:

This research will investigate how ___’s contribution to ___ led to ___.

Instruct students to take notes in their Journal on the following prompt:

• Considering the three pathways of research you may want to choose from, write one sentence naming the path you are currently leaning toward and one sentence explaining why.