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Spark
Lesson 3: What Is a "Hidden Figure"?: Seeing the Work Behind the Work
California CCSS: Focus Standards
California CCSS: Supporting Standards
ELD Standards
In this lesson
Today you will
Determine the author’s purpose in the prologue of Hidden Figures and define the concept of a “hidden figure” using text evidence.
Use domain specific language to define the concept of “hidden figure” and describe the author’s purpose for writing the text.
Use introductory evidence clauses and correct comma placement to integrate evidence from the prologue of a text.
Essential Questions
How do curiosity, evidence, and collaboration lead to discovery?
How can research help us uncover lesser-known contributions and tell a more complete story?
Texts used in this lesson
Novel
Hidden Figures (Young Readers' Edition)
Margot Lee Shetterly
Lesson Sequence
Directions: In the last two lessons, we learned that NASA needed many kinds of expertise and that segregation kept many people from getting equal access to opportunity. Today we are putting those ideas together by asking who did essential work but did not get equal recognition. This matters because, later in the unit, you will research an innovator whose story deserves to be seen clearly.
Directions: Take a moment to study the photograph closely before you respond. Look carefully at the desks, papers, calculation tools, and the number of workers in the room, and think about what those details show about the kind of work being done.
What do you notice about who is doing the work in this image, and why might some of these people be less remembered than astronauts or presidents?
Based on what we learned about the Space Race and segregation, why might an important contributor become “hidden” in history?
Part A: Annotate for Author’s Purpose
Annotation Spot-Check
Directions: As you read, mark text that connects to the author’s purpose. As we read the opening of the prologue, look for places where the author points our attention to people whose work was necessary but not widely recognized. Mark H next to a detail that helps define the idea of hidden figure, mark P next to words and phrases that reveal the author’s purpose, then mark E to identify evidence the author uses to support her ideas.
In your notes, use an evidence frame such as “According to the prologue ____” to start your thinking. Identify any annotations you want to share with a partner and be prepared to explain why you marked that spot in the text.
Which idea from the prologue gives you the strongest clue that this book will focus on overlooked contributors to the Space Race?
Based on your annotations, how would you complete this sentence: A hidden figure is someone who ___, but ___?
Reflection |
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Reflect on your ability to identify key details in an informational text.
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Part B: Explaining Author’s Purpose and Hidden Figures
Think-Pair-Share
Directions: Now that you’ve gathered evidence through annotation, you’ll use that evidence to explain the author’s purpose and the meaning of “hidden figure.” With your partner, share one annotation that helps explain the concept of a hidden figure and another that reveals the author’s purpose. Explain why you marked that part of the text and describe the idea that it helps you understand. In your discussion try to use examples of the domain specific vocabulary, including those for this lesson: expertise, evidence, data, or aeronautics. After both of you have shared, decide together which annotations give the clearest clues about the meaning of “hidden figures” and the author’s purpose.
What seems to be the author’s purpose for beginning the book by describing overlooked contributors? Use examples from the text to support your response.
Based on the prologue, how would you explain the idea of a hidden figure? Use details from the text to support your response.
Pulse Check |
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In the prologue of Hidden Figures, the author shifts attention from “in front of the camera” achievements to the people who worked behind the scenes. Which choice best explains her purpose? A. To show that space missions depended only on brave astronauts B. To explain only how rockets and machines were built C. To show that major discoveries depend on many experts whose contributions were often unseen D. To argue that government leaders deserve most of the credit for space exploration. |
Quick Write
Directions: In 2–3 sentences, explain how the author uses the prologue to define “hidden figures” and identify her purpose for writing the text. Use key details from the prologue in your explanation.