HIDDEN FIGURES
Our sixth graders recently finished up a “hidden figures” unit (using the novel Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly) where we focused on learning about those whose accomplishments and achievements have been ignored, dismissed, and have gone unrecognized for far too long! We understand that our study of history is most accurate when we celebrate the contributions of ALL people–not just those in the dominant, popular culture. And by uncovering the stories of hidden figures, we are contributing to a better world in which everyone gets the recognition they deserve.
So we learned about people like Dorothy Vaughn, Mary Jackson, and Katherine Johnson who were not only absolutely pivotal in helping the United States achieve space-flight, but also helped human-kind land on the moon for the first time. It’s a shame more of us didn’t know who they were before reading this book, but history discriminates far too often! (Especially when it comes to gender and race!) But this is the primary reason for this module–to shed light on those who have been hidden from us for reasons that don’t make intellectual sense, and in fact, it makes their achievements even more remarkable because they were made in the face of great adversity, inspiring us when we learn more about their exceptional courage and perseverance!
In the middle of our module, we went on a space-themed, STEM-based field study to the Challenger Space Learning Center where the students were put into several teams and given NASA-specific roles in order to work collaboratively to complete a very advanced task. Within our field study, NASA had recently launched a Rover to the Moon in order to explore new areas and collect scientific data. However, the Rover had lost power before the information could be sent back to Earth, and so the students worked in their teams and in their specific roles to solve this problem, helping to repair the Rover and make sure that it gathered enough data to inform NASA about the best place for a possible long-term habitat on the Moon. We had a most wonderful time fulfilling our jobs!
In the last phase of this module, the students researched other individuals who have been underrepresented and “hidden” for far too long, in an effort to write and illustrate a four-page chapter of our very own children’s book about hidden figures. The students researched about a selected individual’s early life, the amazing things they accomplished, and why their impact on the world was (and still is) so important.
And to cap it all off, we then shared these original stories with various elementary classes within our school to not only increase and spread the love of reading, but to start letting our youngest students know that you can accomplish great things, no matter what obstacles might be in your way!!