Lesson 16: Hidden Figures, Chapter 18

This Turn and Talk helps students process key ideas about persistence, dedication, and collaboration in the Apollo 11 mission. It also prepares them for the upcoming analysis of how the author uses figurative language in the chapter.

Turn and Talk

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

• Ask: In Chapter 18, the author shows that scientific progress in Virginia was moving quickly while social progress was moving slowly. What are some examples from the chapter that illustrate this contrast?

  • One example of the contrast in Chapter 18 is that Virginia was proud to be the place where important scientific work for space travel was happening, including the calculations that helped launch humans into space. At the same time, the chapter explains that Virginia was still fighting against school integration and treating Black citizens unfairly. This shows that scientific progress was moving forward quickly, but social progress—like ending segregation—was moving much more slowly.

Connection to Today's Learning

• Say: Your partner discussion explored how Chapter 18 highlights two different speeds of progress: scientific progress moving forward quickly, while social progress moved slowly. This contrast is important to the chapter. Now we will look at how the author uses figurative language to help us understand this idea more deeply.

This part of the lesson helps students understand how figurative and literal language work together to reveal central ideas. Students examine how the author uses a symbolic description of Virginia’s legacy alongside factual details about segregation to highlight the contrast between the state’s pride in space exploration and its unfair treatment of Black citizens.

Language Study

Display the example of figurative language from Chapter 18 and read it aloud.

“Virginia’s legacy as the birthplace of humanity’s first step into the heavens would have to compete with its embarrassing reputation as the country’s most outspoken opponent to the integration of public schools.”

Say these Directions: Look at this sentence from Chapter 18 as I read it aloud. We are going to study how the author uses figurative language to show an important idea in the chapter. As we discuss it, focus on what the words seem to mean on the surface and what they suggest at a deeper level.

Teach: Interpreting figurative language

• Say: This is a powerful sentence because the author uses figurative language to describe Virginia’s “legacy” as if it were something grand and historic—“the birthplace of humanity’s first step into the heavens.” At the same time, the author contrasts that imagery with details about Virginia’s real and painful history of resisting school integration. By placing these two ideas side by side, the author helps us see the tension between the state’s pride in its scientific achievements and the injustice created by segregation.

Prompt students to turn and talk with a partner to respond to the following questions:

• Ask: What is the literal, or surface‑level, meaning of the phrase “the birthplace of humanity’s first step into the heavens”?

  • If I look only at the surface meaning, it sounds like a place where humans literally took their first steps upward into the sky, almost like walking into the clouds.

• Ask: When you look at the phrase figuratively, what deeper meaning do you notice?

  • I think the phrase means that Virginia is proud to be the place where the scientific and mathematical work that made space travel possible first happened. It suggests that the state sees itself as the starting point for sending people into space.

Part A: Understanding Technical Language (RI.6.4) (15 minutes)

This part of the lesson helps students identify technical vocabulary and understand how it supports key ideas in the chapter. The 3‑Column Chart guides them to connect specific terms to what they explain and why they matter.

Display the following section of text:

“While the astronauts were preparing for this important mission, Katherine Goble had to calculate the flight trajectories. In other words, she had to plan the exact path that the spacecraft would travel across Earth’s surface, from the moment it lifted off the launch pad and flew through the atmosphere and into space, until it splashed back down in the Atlantic Ocean.” (pg. 150)

• Say: In this passage, the author uses technical vocabulary to explain the complex calculations Katherine had to complete. This explanation helps readers who may not have a scientific background understand challenging concepts. The passage includes words such as calculate, trajectories, and atmosphere, which help to highlight the key idea that Katherine had to determine the spacecraft’s precise path from launch to landing.

Direct students to label the 3-column Chart and then have them review Chapter 18 to look for examples of technical language used to explain key concepts and ideas. Model for students how to record responses in each column.

• Say these Directions: Use the 3-Column Chart to identify examples of technical or domain specific language from Chapter 18. Record your examples in the first column, what the language helps to explain in the second column, and how the word connects to a key idea in the text in the third column.

Label each column as indicated:

• Column 1: Example of technical language

• Column 2: What it explains

• Column 3: Connection to a central idea

Model for students how to complete the table using the technical vocabulary from the passage above.

Completed Sample 3-Column Chart

Circulate to support students as they determine what the words explain and how they help to convey a central idea.

If time allows, have students share some of their examples.

Part B: Analyzing the Development of a Central Idea (RI.6.2) (15 minutes)

Quick Write

Teach: Building a Layered Central Idea Explanation

• Say: In Chapter 18, the author uses both figurative and technical language to reveal central ideas. The figurative phrase “the birthplace of humanity’s first step into the heavens” shows Virginia’s pride in its role in early space exploration, while also highlighting the contradiction that the state still enforced segregation and treated Black mathematicians and scientists unfairly. The technical terms—such as calculate, trajectories, and atmosphere—explain the precise, high‑stakes work Katherine was doing at the same time. Together, these language choices show that scientific progress was moving quickly, while social and legal progress lagged behind.

• Say these Directions: Write a four‑to‑five‑sentence explanation of how the figurative phrase “the birthplace of humanity’s first step into the heavens” helps develop a central idea of Chapter 18. Use evidence from the text to support your response.

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

Chapter 18 shows that progress was not moving at the same speed in every part of American life. The figurative phrase “the birthplace of humanity’s first step into the heavens” presents Virginia as a proud starting point for space exploration; however, the chapter also shows that the state continued to resist integration, treating many of the very people who made that progress possible unfairly. In contrast, the technical language describing Katherine’s calculations highlights how urgent and advanced the scientific work was. This contrast helps reveal a central idea of the chapter, which reinforces the idea that the nation could move rapidly toward space while still delaying justice at home.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: In three to four sentences, explain how the author uses both figurative language—such as the phrase “the birthplace of humanity’s first step into the heavens”—and technical language—such as the words calculate, trajectories, and atmosphere used to describe Katherine’s work—to convey central ideas in Chapter 18. Use details from the text to support your response.

• The figurative phrase “the birthplace of humanity’s first step into the heavens” shows how proudly Virginia viewed its role in early space exploration. However, the technical terms describing Katherine’s calculations—like calculate and trajectories—highlight the precise, urgent scientific work happening at the same time. Together, these two types of language reveal a central idea of the chapter, which is that scientific progress was advancing quickly even while social progress, such as ending segregation, was being delayed.

Have students view the "Greensboro Lunch Counter" museum exhibition and access their copy of Hidden Figures. Instruct students to:

• Read the Chapter 19 summary

• Read and annotate Chapter 20