Who Is Katherine Johnson? by NASA | CommonLit

by NASA 2017

We've identified these texts as great options for text pairings based on similar themes, literary devices, topic, or writing style. Supplement your lesson with one or more of these options and challenge students to compare and contrast the texts. To assign a paired text, click on the text to go to its page and click the "Assign Text" button there.

A Child Of Slavery Who Taught A Generation

Karen Grigsby Bates

This article from National Public Radio reports on the life and success of Anna Julia Haywood Cooper, an American author, educator, prominent scholar, and one of the first black women to earn a doctoral degree in United States history.

Pair “Who is Katherine Johnson?” with “A Child of Slavery Who Taught A Generation” and ask students to compare the progress made by the two women in the texts. How did the women face similar challenges in their professional lives? How might Anna J. Cooper have helped pave the way for Katherine Johnson?

9th Grade Informational Text 1080L

The Legacy of Charles R. Drew

CommonLit Staff

The informational text "The Legacy of Charles R. Drew" explores the life and accomplishments of Charles R. Drew, an African American doctor who made incredible contributions to the field of medicine.

Pair “Who is Katherine Johnson?” with “The Legacy of Charles R. Drew” and ask students to discuss the challenges that faced both Johnson and Drew as they strove to accomplish their career goals. How did they respond to racial discrimination? How do Drew and Johnson share similar legacies?

7th Grade Informational Text 1150L

The Women of Hidden Figures

Jessica McBirney

In "The Women of Hidden Figures," Jessica McBirney describes three famous African American women who performed crucial work at NASA during the Space Race.

Pair “Who is Katherine Johnson?” with “The Women of Hidden Figures” to provide students with additional information on one of the women discussed in “The Women of Hidden Figures.” What additional details does “Who is Katherine Johnsons?” provide students with regarding the infamous computer? How do both texts explore Johnson’s accomplishments and their contributions to gender and racial equality?

8th Grade Biography 1180L

What Is the International Space Station?

NASA

The informational text "What Is the International Space Station?" discusses the large spacecraft that allows humans to live in space and conduct research.

Pair “Who is Katherine Johnson?” with “What Is the International Space Station?” to provide students with information about what it takes to get someone into space. Ask students to consider whether or not the success of the International Space Station would have been possible without Johnson's contributions to NASA. How do both texts help students understand the work required to send someone into space?

5th Grade Informational Text 570L

Cracking Code Purple

Anna Ouchchy

In the informational text "Cracking Code Purple," Anna Ouhchy discusses the discovery of cryptanalyst Genevieve Grotjan during World War II.

Pair “Who is Katherine Johnson?” with “Cracking Code Purple” and ask students to discuss why Katherine Johnson and Genevieve Grotjan were considered uncommon in their fields. What did Johnson and Grotjan’s work have in common? How were their contributions important to progress in America?

7th Grade Informational Text 870L

Paired Texts > Who Is Katherine Johnson?