Hidden Figures Activities & Unit Study Resources – Free Biography Forms
Hidden Figures gives us the opportunity to see behind the scenes of some of the most important events in NASA history and in the acceptance of women and minorities into STEM fields. It tells how, in the face of racism and sexism, black female mathematicians completed the calculations that were essential to send our first astronauts safely into space and back.
Hidden Figures Activities and Resources
Hidden Figures would make a great basis for a unit study. It has history, literature, STEM, and other aspects that appeal to students. Use these links below as a guide.
Literature
The Hidden Figures movie was based on a book by Margot Lee Shetterly It is, also, available in a young reader’s edition. The book is based on actual events and written after extensive research by the author, including interviews with as many actual participants as possible.
You can read the book before or after the movie. Use venn diagrams like these to compare and contrast the book and the movie.
Request the biography forms, and use them alongside all of the Hidden Figures resources we have linked below.
Biographies
Request our free biography forms. There are three different layouts; select the format that best fits your student!
- From Hidden Figures to Modern Figures
- Hidden Figures-related lesson from Worcester Polytechnic Institute
- Hidden Figures bookmarks
- Mary Jackson Biography
- Hidden Figures book companion for younger children from the Florida Center for Reading Research
- Katherine Johnson Biography K-4
- Katherine Johnson Biography 5-8 (NASA)
- Another Katherine Johnson biography from NASA
- A video interview with Katherine Johnson
- Dorothy Vaughan
- The True Story of “Hidden Figures,” the Forgotten Women Who Helped Win the Space Race from Smithsonian Magazine
- Biographies of Women in STEM from Agnes Scott College
- People involved in the movie version of Hidden Figures discuss the making of the film.
History
- Human Computers: The Women Of NASA
- Women In Mathematics History
- The Untold History of Women in Science and Technology STEM
- NASA has its own Modern Figures Took Kit full of resources
- Space Math
- Outer Space STEM activities
I hold a master’s degree in child development and early education and am working on a post-baccalaureate in biology. I spent 15 years working for a biotechnology company developing IT systems in DNA testing laboratories across the US. I taught K4 in a private school, homeschooled my children, and have taught on the mission field in southern Asia. For 4 years, I served on our state’s FIRST Lego League tournament Board and served as the Judging Director. I own thehomeschoolscientist and also write a regular science column for Homeschooling Today Magazine. You’ll also find my writings on the CTCMath blog. Through this site, I have authored over 50 math and science resources.