Lesson 19: Hidden Figures, Research Writing, Part 5

Have students take out their Chapter 22 Homework annotations.

• Read and annotate Chapter 22 of Hidden Figures. As you read, mark places that show how people respond to Katherine Johnson’s work and how her contributions become more visible or remain overlooked.

Turn and Talk

Say these Directions: Discuss your homework annotations with a Turn-and-Talk partner.

Then call on two or three pairs using the following prompt:

• Ask: How could a public event like the March on Washington affect what people believed about Black professionals working at NASA?

  • A public event like the March on Washington could change what people believed because it made Black leadership and demands for equality visible across the country. That wider visibility could help people notice that Black professionals at NASA were already doing skilled scientific work that challenged unfair assumptions.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: In the previous lesson, we compared Chapter 21 with “Glenn Orbits the Earth” and evaluated which evidence best showed danger and collaboration. Today, we are using that same evidence and explanation with the ideas in Chapter 22 to understand the connections between events and explain what those connections reveal. This matters for your performance task because strong research writing explains how ideas connect and why they matter.

Language Study

Using Pronouns and Reference Chains

Say these Directions: When we write about different people or ideas in the same paragraph, readers can get mixed up. A reference chain is how a writer keeps naming the person, group, or event so the reader always knows who the pronouns are talking about. This is especially important in today’s paragraph because your reader needs to follow exactly who or what you mean in every sentence.

Review the meaning of pronoun and referent as needed.

Project the following sentence:

• The defining moment of the event came when thirty-four-year-old Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addressed the crowd. Shortly after he began speaking, Mahalia Jackson, one of the singers who had been invited to perform at the event, urged Dr. King to share his deepest feelings with the crowd. “Tell them about the dream, Martin!” she said to him, urging him to speak to the crowd from his heart. (p. 186)

• Say: We are going to use this sentence to help us understand and identify pronouns and referents.

Read the sentence aloud and then use the following “meaningful chunks” to lead a discussion about how this sentence is constructed.

Think and respond to these questions.

• Ask: What is the meaning of the sentence as a whole?

  • As a whole, the passage explains how a key moment in the event, the speech by Martin Luther King Jr., became especially powerful because of a prompt from Mahalia Jackson. It shows that although Dr. King began speaking, it was Jackson’s encouragement to “tell them about the dream” that pushed him to speak more personally and emotionally, helping shape what became the most memorable and meaningful part of his address.

• Ask: How does pronoun number and gender help to make clear what the writer is saying?

  • Pronoun number and gender help the reader clearly track who is being referred to at each moment. Most of the references point back to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who is a single person, so the use of singular pronouns keeps the focus on him as the central figure. When Mahalia Jackson is introduced, the shift in gender in the pronouns makes it clear when the passage is referring to her instead of Dr. King. Number also helps distinguish between individuals and groups. References to a group signal that the writer is talking about the performers or the audience rather than one specific person. This contrast makes it easier to follow who is acting, who is being addressed, and how each person or group fits into the moment.

Organize students into pairs. Then have them engage in the Turn-and-Talk routine.

• Say: Work with your partner to respond to the following question.

• Ask: What is the reference chain in this paragraph? Explain how it helps the reader more clearly understand what the writer is saying.

  • The paragraph builds a clear chain of reference by introducing a few key people and then referring back to them in ways that keep the focus on their roles in the moment. After naming Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the passage continues to refer back to him as the central figure, emphasizing his actions, his speech, and his emotional expression. Mahalia Jackson is then introduced with some background context, and subsequent references point back to her as the person prompting and guiding the shift in the speech. The crowd is also briefly referenced as the audience, helping clarify who is meant to receive the message. Overall, the reference chain keeps Dr. King at the center while showing how Mahalia Jackson’s encouragement influences him and how both are connected to the larger audience.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Today, we’ll be gathering details from Chapter 22 and using clear reference chains to explain what those details show.

Part A: Make Connections Between Details (W.6.9.b) (12 minutes)

Today’s lesson helps students connect two different parts of Chapter 22 by pairing details that point to the same bigger idea. They’ll use a 3‑column chart to collect one detail from the March on Washington section, one from the NASA section, and then explain what those details show when they’re put together.

Students may work in pairs, but each student should complete their own chart.

Say these Directions: Open to Chapter 22.

• Choose one detail from the section where Shetterly describes the March on Washington.

• Choose another detail from the section where Shetterly describes what Black professionals at NASA were achieving.

• Record each detail in the first two columns of your 3-Column Chart.

• Use the third column to explain what the two details show together.

Teach:

• Say: I am looking for one detail from the National March section and one detail from the NASA section that together speak to the same bigger idea. For example, Dr. King describes the African American dream as part of the American dream, which is a statement about equality and belonging. Katherine Johnson’s work on the Apollo mission provides a real example of that idea, showing full participation in an important national achievement. When these details are paired, one offers the vision and the other shows it in action. The third column is essential because it is where you explain this connection. If you can complete the sentence “Together, these details show that ___,” you have selected a strong pair. If I can finish the sentence “Together, these details show that ___,” then I know my evidence pair is strong.

Direct students to work together to add detail pairs to their graphic organizers and then explain the connections between those pairs.

Invite two or three pairs to share what they added to their graphic organizers with the class. Help students refine the definition of each word as needed.

Completed sample 3-column chart:

Part B: Draft a Connection Paragraph (W.6.2.b, W.6.2.c, W.6.2.e, L.6.1) (18 minutes)

Modeled Writing

• Say: As I begin the paragraph, I start with a clear big idea that connects both details, focusing on how the American dream becomes more shared and accessible during the civil rights era. I then introduce my first piece of evidence—the quote from Martin Luther King Jr.—and explain how it presents a vision of equality and belonging. Next, I will bring in the detail about Katherine Johnson, showing how her work at NASA provides a real example of that vision being carried out. I connect this explanation back to my main idea to keep the paragraph focused. Finally, I bring the two details together by explaining that one offers the vision and the other shows it in action. I end by stating what the pair reveals overall and then revise for clear pronoun use and formal tone.

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

Chapter 22 shows how the idea of the American dream becoming shared and accessible to African Americans during the civil rights era is both expressed and realized. In one moment, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech “reminded all the citizens of the nation that the African-American dream and the American dream were one and the same” (p. 186), which presents a powerful vision of equality and belonging, arguing that African Americans should be fully included in the nation’s opportunities. This idea is then reflected in a real-life example through Katherine Johnson, who later said that “working on the math that coordinated the orbiting Apollo Command and Service Module (CSM) . . . was the highlight of her career at NASA” (p. 182). Her contribution to such an important national achievement shows that she was not only included in that dream but actively participating in and shaping it. One detail presents the vision of equality, while the other detail demonstrates that vision in action; together these details show that the broader push for civil rights helped make meaningful opportunities possible.

Say these Directions: Use your chart to write a five-to-six-sentence informative paragraph in your journal.

As you draft, remember to:

• Start with a topic sentence that states the connection.

• Include one detail from the March on Washington section and one detail from the NASA section.

• Explain what those two details together show.

• Keep your pronouns clear.

• Use formal tone, avoiding second person and casual phrases.

Lesson 19 Writing Rubric: Explanatory Paragraph — Key Moments & Evidence

Writing prompt: Write an explanatory paragraph that develops the topic of how a hidden innovator's key moments reveal their contribution and significance. Use relevant details from Hidden Figures and connect ideas using transitional phrases and specific pronoun references.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: Respond to the following Quick Write prompt with three to five sentences:

• Ask: Which phrase or tool best helped you connect two ideas without losing clarity? How did this phrase or tool help you?

  • The phrase “Together, these details show . . .” helped me most because it pushed me to explain the connection instead of just listing facts.

Have students access their copy of Hidden Figures. Instruct students to:

• Read Chapter 23 of Hidden Figures and annotate for moments when visibility, recognition, or change becomes important. Review your annotations so you are ready to use them in the Academic Discussion in Lesson 20.