Lesson 4: Hidden Figures, Prologue–Chapter 1

Pair students with the same partner they used in Lesson 3 if possible so they can quickly build from prior thinking.

Turn and Talk

Say these Directions: Turn and talk to discuss your response to the following question.

• Ask: What possibilities emerge when an individual’s curiosity is recognized and nurtured by their community?

  • A person’s curiosity can grow into real skill when other people, especially those in their community, support it. For example, if a student loves math and teachers and family encourage that interest, the student may begin to imagine a future in science or engineering.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: We are going to analyze how the author uses details in the Prologue and Chapter 1 to develop central ideas. When writing about these sections, focus on how the text presents not only the barriers the young women faced but also the support offered by families, schools, and communities that helped them pursue their goals.

Introduce New Words Using Morphology

Target Words: aeronautics, regulations

Say these Directions: Today we’re learning about the domain specific vocabulary aeronautics and regulations. Let’s explore these words more closely.

Introduce the Word: Present the word aeronautics to students and pronounce it.

• Ask: Have you seen the word aeronautics before? Where?

Identify the Root: Underline the root aero in aeronautics. Explain that aero comes from Greek and means “air.”

• Ask: Do you know any other words with the root aero? (aerospace, aerosol)

• Language Connection: Connect to aerial and aerobic (both relate to air).

Identify Affixes: Circle naut and -ics in aeronautics. Explain that naut means “sailor” or “navigator,” and -ics refers to a field of study or science.

• Ask: What do you think naut might mean based on words you know such as astronaut? (someone who travels or navigates)

• Language Connection: Connect to Spanish aeronáutica, which has a similar meaning.

Determine Meaning:

• Ask: Using what we know about aero, naut, and -ics, what do you think aeronautics means? (the science or study of traveling through the air, like flying aircraft)

Repeat the routine with regulations:

Introduce the Word: Present the word regulations to students and pronounce it.

• Ask: Have you seen the word regulations before? Where?

Identify the Root: Underline the root reg in regulations. Explain that reg comes from Latin regere, meaning “to rule” or “to guide.”

• Ask: Do you know any other words with the root reg? (regulate, regular, region)

• Language Connection: Connect to regal and reign (both relate to ruling or control).

Identify Affixes: Circle -ulate and -ions in regulations. Explain that -ulate means “to control or make,” and -ions shows it is a noun meaning “the act or result.”

• Ask: What do you think -ions might tell us about the word? (that it’s something people do or a system)

• Language Connection: Connect to Spanish regulación/regulaciones, which has a similar meaning.

Determine Meaning:

• Ask: Using what we know about reg, -ulate, and -ions, what do you think regulations means? (rules or laws that control how something is done)

Part A: Track the Big Idea (RI.6.2) (15 minutes)

Direct students to reread the part of the Prologue that introduces the women’s love of math and science, and the section of Chapter 1 that describes Black schools, churches, families, and community life.

Close Read & Annotation Protocol

Teach: Distinguishing Details from Central Idea.

• Say: In Chapter 1, I notice the details that show how Black families, churches, and schools created strong learning environments despite segregation. Details alone can’t form a central idea, but together with an explanation, they can help reveal what the author is showing: curiosity can grow into something powerful, especially when a community supports and nurtures it.

Say these Directions: Access the Prologue and Chapter 1 and label your 3-column chart as indicated below.

• Column 1: Key details about curiosity

• Column 2: Key details about community

• Column 3: Central ideas

Use the three‑column chart to record key details from the Prologue and Chapter 1 that relate to (1) curiosity (2) community. Then identify a central idea that these details help develop. After listing the details in the first two columns, use your own words in the third column to explain what each detail shows.

Ask: How does the author convey the women’s curiosity about math and science?

• In the prologue section, the author shows that the women were drawn to math and science and wanted to understand difficult problems.

Ask: What detail in Chapter 1 shows community support for learning?

• In Chapter 1 when the author describes Black families, schools, and churches building strong learning spaces, the text shows that the community expected children to study hard and keep growing.

Ask: What central idea do those details develop together?

• Together, these details develop the central idea that Black communities nurtured the curiosity and ambition of women pursuing careers in science and math and supported their professional goals despite the many challenges they faced.

Ask: What does Shetterly seem to want readers to understand about Black women in science that might otherwise be overlooked? Use evidence from the text to support your thinking.

• Shetterly seems to want readers to understand that Black women were serious, capable scientists whose contributions were ignored because of racism and sexism. She includes details about community support and curiosity to show that these women were not exceptions and that they were part of a larger story of Black achievement.

Part B: Explain the Big Idea (RI.6.2) (15 minutes)

Teach:

• Say: Writers write an explanatory paragraph by starting with a clear central idea, then explaining how key details from a text support that idea. By using transitions like “for example” or “this suggests” writers create clear connections between the ideas and the supporting evidence. For explanatory writing, it’s important to avoid opinion language and to focus only on how the evidence develops the idea. When possible, use domain specific language from the text to develop your ideas.

Display the following writing model if needed for support and guidance:

One central idea in the prologue and Chapter 1 is that curiosity about math and science started opening new possibilities for Black women because their communities helped that curiosity grow. In the part of Chapter 1 that describes Black schools, families, and churches, the author shows that adults built strong support systems for learning even under segregation. For example, the text explains that education was protected and valued in Black communities, which helped talented girls continue developing their skills. As a result, their interest in subjects like math and science began to challenge the false idea that Black women did not belong in scientific fields.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: Use your notes to write a 3–4 sentence paragraph that explains a central idea from the prologue and Chapter 1 of Hidden Figures.

Begin your paragraph with “One central idea from the text is…” and use key details to support your explanation. Incorporate sentence stems such as “This detail shows…” or “This evidence conveys…” to connect your evidence to the central idea.

When possible, include domain-specific language from the text to strengthen your explanation.

Reflection

In the research performance task, you will need to explain important ideas clearly and support them with evidence from more than one source. Today, you practiced the same process by finding a central idea in Hidden Figures and showing how details support it. The more clearly you can link evidence to a bigger idea, the stronger your future research writing will be.

Say these Directions: Complete paragraph by filling in the blanks:

Share the following paragraph template:

One central idea in the Prologue and Chapter 1 of Hidden Figures is ___. A key detail that supports this idea is___. This detail connects to the idea of ____because it shows____.

• One central idea in the prologue and Chapter 1 of Hidden Figures is that during the time that the story takes place, curiosity about math and science could grow into a profession for Black women, even with the many challenges they faced. A key detail that supports this idea is that their communities protected and encouraged their learning. This detail shows how community support helped these women develop their talents in math and science, even while they faced oppression and racism.

Ask students to read Chapter 2 of Hidden Figures. Instruct them to take notes in their Journal on the following prompt:

As you read, annotate the text for the following:

• one detail that shows a new opportunity opening

• one detail that shows a barrier still remaining