Sunday, February 2, 2020

Counting on Katherine by Helaine Becker and

Katherine Loved to Count...
Inspiration Books: 
Counting on Katherine : how Katherine Johnson saved Apollo 13 by Becker, Helaine — Henry Holt and Company, 2018. 510.92; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.3. As a child, Katherine Johnson loved to count. She counted the steps on the road, the number of stars in the sky, the number of dishes and spoons she washed in the kitchen sink. Boundless, curious, and excited by calculations, young Katherine longed to know as much as she could about math, about the universe. From Katherine's early beginnings as a gifted student to her heroic accomplishments as a prominent mathematician at NASA, this is the story of a ground-breaking American icon who not only calculated the course of moon landings but, in turn, saved lives. NFD, NSTA, CBS, RB

Meet the Author, Helaine Becker, backstory information https://www.teachingbooks.net/book_reading.cgi?id=15265
Meet the Illustrator, Dow Phmiruk  https://www.teachingbooks.net/book_reading.cgi?id=15226
AND
Hidden figures : the true story of four black women and the space race by Shetterly, Margot Lee — Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2018. 510; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.5. Before John Glenn orbited the earth, or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as -human computers- used pencils, slide rules, and adding machines to calculate the numbers that would launch rockets, and astronauts, into space. This book brings to life the stories of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden, four African-American women who lived through the civil rights era, the Space Race, the Cold War, and the movement for gender equality, and whose work forever changed the face of NASA and the country. , Titlewave , CCBC, NFD, NSTA 2019



Teaching Guide with Nothing Stopped Sophie on Classroom Bookshelf http://www.theclassroombookshelf.com/2018/09/nothing-stopped-sophie-and-counting-on-katherine/
Rationale: Margot Shetterly’s book for adults Hidden Figures spurned a number of spin-offs about the women who worked at Langley near Washington, D.C. as mathematicians and were  lovingly called “the computers.” A young adult version of the adult book was also published and in 2018, a picture book version. That picture book version is one of the Inspiration Books for this My Books Alive entry. Additionally, other picture books about one of the Hidden Figures, Katherine Johnson have also recently been published and received recognition as Outstanding Science Trade Books. They, too, are part of this posting. I have already posted an entry about the Apollo program and another about astronauts. You may want to combine this entry with that for Countdown and Mae Among the Stars for an updated mini unit on people in space.
One of the recurring skill themes for library and language arts classes is comparing and contrasting information found in a variety of books, i.e. being a critical reader. And, one way to think critically about books is to think about the information that is included by looking for details. Biographies, especially picture biographies, work well to develop critical analysis and noting details. When first working with students developing their critical analysis skills, guide their fact collecting. For example: How much of the person’s life is covered? Childhood? Education? Early jobs? Major accomplishments? Race? Gender? Etc. The same basic approach can be used with each grade level. If your students are adept at locating facts, try small group or individual work after you model searching for facts with the first Inspiration Book. There are also ideas for an ADJUNCT LESSON for Grades 5-8 that use some of the suggestions from the Classroom Bookshelf blog for Hidden Figures and Nothing Stopped Sophie. The lesson ideas in this Books Alive entry work well when classes are studying biographies or the space program, or during Women’s History Month or Math Month. Even though Katherine Johnson was an African American woman, I have chosen not to emphasize race or gender, but you certainly could.
Teacher Resources are listed after each bibliographic entry.
As mentioned above, the lesson for each grade level is basically the same. I’ve identified with color coding the modifications for each grade grouping: Grades 1-2 or all grades = black, Grades 3-5 = green, Grades 5-8 = burgandy.
Grades 1-2--Katherine Likes to Count
Rationale: Critical reading and thinking needs plenty of nurturing in the elementary school. This lesson about Katherine Johnson  begins to develop skills of selecting facts supporting a particular topic and to compare the information found in two books, plus finally making several conclustions.
Preparation: Whiteboard or chart paper plus chalk or pens OR electronic whiteboard and computer access.
Copies of the representative books.
Prepare a three column chart for fact collecting. Write the fact categories in the first column; write the title of the two books to read in the second and third columns. Add a fourth column for Grades 5-8 and add Counting the Stars. Your chart might look something like this:

Computer Called Katherine
Hidden Figures
Hidden Figures
Counting on Katherine
Counting


School


No black HS


Math


Math teacher


Langley


Questioning


Space program/ plotting route


Moon landing
Introduction:  (Play a simple math game, depending on the age, like Odd and Even, 7 Up, Counting by 5s or 10s, etc.) The main character in our first book is Katherine Johnson who  loved math and received the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom from former President Obama. Let’s read today’s Inspiration Book, Counting on Katherine, and find out. As you listen, think about what could be added to the categories in our chart: counting, school, black high school, math, math teacher, Langley, questioning, space program, moon landing, and other facts you thought were interesting.
Read aloud:
Counting on Katherine : how Katherine Johnson saved Apollo 13 by Becker, Helaine — Henry Holt and Company, 2018. 510.92; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.3.

OR, for Grade 3-5 and 5-8, 
Read aloud:
Hidden figures : the true story of four black women and the space race by Shetterly, Margot Lee — Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2018. 510; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.5. 
What did we find out about Ms. Johnson? (List items on chart/white board under appropriate  category). Which of the facts we wrote down help us know why she won a big award? Do you think other books tell us the same facts? Let’s read another Outstanding Science Trade Book.
Read aloud: 
A computer called Katherine : how Katherine Johnson helped put America on the moon by Slade, Suzanne — Little, Brown and Company, 2019 510; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.3.

OR, for Graded 3-5 and 5-8, read
Counting on Katherine : how Katherine Johnson saved Apollo 13 by Becker, Helaine — Henry Holt and Company, 2018. 510.92; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.3
Let’s add to the chart. What did we find out about Ms. Johnson? (List items on chartwhite board under appropriate category). Did we learn any new facts? Were any repeated in both books? Why do you think it’s a good idea when learning about somebody or a class subject to get facts from more than one book? (Allow discussion: more information, more interesting information, verify information, etc.)  What if two books don’t agree? (Primary students may not be able to answer these last questions, but give them a try.)
Our starting question wondered why Katherine Johnson might have received a special award from the President. What do you thinkg? (Again allow discussion and direct it to her work as a mathematician and on the space program.)
Extension for Grades 5-8
What if two books don’t agree? (Hopefully somebody will suggest that a third book be read.) Yes, we look for more information, maybe in another book, maybe in periodicals, maybe online. Katherine Johnson’s story has been so popular, interesting and vital that I just happen to have a third book to explore. Remember we’re looking for additional facts or perhaps facts that don’t agree with those we previously learned.
Read aloud: 
Counting the stars by Cline-Ransome, Lesa — Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2019 510.92; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.9. 
Let’s add to the chart. What did we find out about Ms. Johnson? (List items on chartwhite board under appropriate category) and for this title. Did we learn any new facts? Were any repeated in all three books? Did one book emphasize a topic more than the others? Did how one book explainded a topic make you wonder whether another book should have included more information? Why? 
(Note: Each of the picture book biographies about Katherine Johnson has interesting back matter that provides additional information. This could be a good time to introduce using backmatter.)
Our starting question wondered why Katherine Johnson might have received a special award from the President. What do you thinkg? (Again allow discussion and direct it to her work as a mathematician and on the space program.)
ADJUNCT LESSON-Grades 5-8--Book vs. Film
Rationale: Books are often made into films. That is the case with the adult version of Margot Shetterly’s Hidden Figures (Harper, 2016, 348 p. FREE Teaching Resources available for download at www.titlewave.com), the student version (Harper 2016, 231p.), and the picture book version (Harper, 2018). The film was nominated for several Academy Awards and is availble on DVD. 

Preparation: Make arrangements to view the film with your students.

Introduction: Not only have several picture books been written about mathematician Katherine Johnson, but her life and the life of three other African American women have been made into film, a film that was nominated for Academy Awards. We’ve already explored the difference and similarities in three books. Are there similarities and differences in the way Katherine Johnson’s story is told in books or film. What details are added, omitted, or altered to make her story work as a full-length film versus a picture book? What common themes and messages do both formats have?

View film Hidden Figures.

Repeat questions: Are there similarities and differences in the way Katherine Johnson’s story is told in books vs. film. What details are added, omitted, or altered to make her story work as a full-length film versus a picture book? What common themes and messages do both formats have?
Katherine Johnson stated, “[W]e always worked as a team. It was never just one person.” In fact, the many accomplishments of famous individuals are actually the result of the work of a team of supporting colleagues, not just one person. How did the film show the importance of group achievements versus indicudual achievements? Did the books show the same?


Additional OSTB and NSSTB Titles About Women Mathematicians and the Space Race with Teacher Resources
Margaret and the Moon : how Margaret Hamilton saved the first lunar landing by Robbins, Dean — Alfred A. Knopf, 2017. 629.45; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.8. Introduces the woman mathematician whose childhood love of numbers led to her prestigious education and contributions at NASA while explaining how her handwritten codes proved essential throughout numerous space missions. Freeman, NFD, NSSTB,  RB



Counting the stars by Cline-Ransome, Lesa — Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2019 510.92; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.9. The story of Katherine Johnson, an African American mathematician whose work was critical to the first US space flight. NSTA 2020.

A computer called Katherine : how Katherine Johnson helped put America on the moon by Slade, Suzanne — Little, Brown and Company, 2019 510; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.3. Tells the story of Katherine Johnson, NASA mathmatician who helped put the first man on the moon. Titlewave. NSTA 2020.

Video Book Chat with the Illustrator https://vimeo.com/306015077
Interview with Suzanne Slade on Baker & Taylor https://www.teachingbooks.net/author_interview.cgi?id=34482
Video-time Lapse illustrating book https://vimeo.com/299999427
Super women : six scientists who changed the world by Lawlor, Laurie — Holiday House, 2017 509.2; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 7.8. Katherine Coleman Johnson. Eugenie Clark. Marie Tharp. Gertrude Elion. Florence Hawley Ellis. Eleanor Margaret Burbidge. Acclaimed author Laurie Lawlor deftly paints portraits of each of these figures who refused to take no for an answer, pursuing their passions through fieldwork, observations, laboratories, and research vessels in the face of sexism, racism, and more. This diverse group of women, all with awe-inspiring accomplishments, were active mentors and determined people who wouldn't take no for an answer. Titlewave. NSSTB 2018, NSTA 2018.
Personal Website for Laurie Lawlor: Curriculum Connections: Super Women http://www.laurielawlor.com/curriculum/superwomencurriculum.html






















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