Author's Methods (Hidden Figures)

Author's Methods (Hidden Figures)

Read the following excerpt from Hidden Figures Chapter 10.

In April 1951, a few months after Dorothy Vaughan became the boss of the West Computing pool, twenty-six year old Mary Jackson came to work for her. Mary was new to the Langley Laboratory, but not new to the area. Mary and her family had deep roots in Hampton, Virginia. Mary went to school in Hampton. Most of Hampton Institute's females students earned degrees in home economics and nursing. Mary studied mathematics and physical science.

Multiple Choice

Which method does the author use to introduce Mary Jackson to the reader? (refer to the Author's Methods Anchor Chart in Canvas if needed)

• Description

• Exposition

• Examples

• Dialogue

Read the following excerpt from Hidden Figures Chapter 10.

Mary always found time for activities that made her happy. One of the things she loved the most was leading Girl Scout Troop 11, which was affiliated with her church. Mary Jackson understood how impressionable the young girls were. At a troop meeting the girls sang "Pick a Bale of Cotton." It was a well known song she had heard countless times before, but that day it was as if she heard the words for the first time. "We're gonna jump down, turn around, pick a bale of cotton!" She realized it was talking about slavery times in the South, and she didn't want to keep that idea alive. "Hold on a minute!" she interrupted. "We are never going to sing this again."

Multiple Choice

Which two methods does the author use to help the reader further understand Mary Jackson's character? (refer to Author's Methods Anchor Chart in Canvas if needed)

• dialogue and example

• description and example

• anecdote and dialogue

• inner thoughts and dialogue

Read the following excerpt from Hidden Figures Chapter 11.

A theoretical engineer is someone who works with numbers and papers, designing aircraft based on ideas or theories, rather than using experiments and testing. Mary Jackson threw herself into her work with her engineering team. She loved rolling up her sleeves and working with airplane models so she could understand the physical phenomena behind the calculations she worked on.

Multiple Choice

Which method does the author use to explain Mary's job at Langley Laboratory? (refer to the Author's Methods Anchor Chart in Canvas if needed)

• inner thoughts

• description

• exposition

• examples

Open Ended

Mary always found time for activities that made her happy. One of the things she loved the most was leading Girl Scout Troop 11, which was affiliated with her church. Mary Jackson understood how impressionable the young girls were. At a troop meeting the girls sang "Pick a Bale of Cotton." It was a well known song she had heard countless times before, but that day it was as if she heard the words for the first time. "We're gonna jump down, turn around, pick a bale of cotton!" She realized it was talking about slavery times in the South, and she didn't want to keep that idea alive. "Hold on a minute!" she interrupted. "We are never going to sing this again."

Based on this excerpt, what can you infer about Mary Jackson's character? (use a character trait to describe Mary)

Open Ended

Mary always found time for activities that made her happy. One of the things she loved the most was leading Girl Scout Troop 11, which was affiliated with her church. Mary Jackson understood how impressionable the young girls were. At a troop meeting the girls sang "Pick a Bale of Cotton." It was a well known song she had heard countless times before, but that day it was as if she heard the words for the first time. "We're gonna jump down, turn around, pick a bale of cotton!" She realized it was talking about slavery times in the South, and she didn't want to keep that idea alive. "Hold on a minute!" she interrupted. "We are never going to sing this again."

What evidence can you find in the excerpt to support your inference about Mary Jackson?

Read the following excerpt from Hidden Figures Chapter 12.

Like West Computing, the office was set up in classroom style with about twenty desks. Most of the people on the team were men. Katherine went to an empty cube and sat down next to a white engineer. Before she had a chance to say hello, the man gave her a sideways glance then got up and walked away. It could have been because she was black and he was white. It could have been because she was a woman and he was a man. Outside the Langley campus, the rules were clear. Blacks and whites lived separately, ate separately, socialized separately, worshipped separately, and worked separately. At Langley, the boundaries were fuzzy.

Multiple Choice

Which method does the author use to introduce Katherine Johnson? (refer to Author's Method Anchor Chart in Canvas if needed)

• description

• dialogue

• inner thoughts

• anecdote

Read the following excerpt from Hidden Figures Chapter 11.

Katherine and the other black mathematicians mounted a charm offensive: they made a special effort to always be well-dressed, well-spoken, patriotic, and upright. They were keenly aware that the interactions that individual blacks had with whites could have implications for the entire black community.

Multiple Choice

Which method does the author use to help the reader understand Katherine Johnson's work environment?

• dialogue

• exposition

• examples

• description

Open Ended

Like West Computing, the office was set up in classroom style with about twenty desks. Most of the people on the team were men. Katherine went to an empty cube and sat down next to a white engineer. Before she had a chance to say hello, the man gave her a sideways glance then got up and walked away. It could have been because she was black and he was white. It could have been because she was a woman and he was a man. Outside the Langley campus, the rules were clear. Blacks and whites lived separately, ate separately, socialized separately, worshipped separately, and worked separately. At Langley, the boundaries were fuzzy.

What can you infer about Katherine Johnson's character based on this excerpt?

Open Ended

Like West Computing, the office was set up in classroom style with about twenty desks. Most of the people on the team were men. Katherine went to an empty cube and sat down next to a white engineer. Before she had a chance to say hello, the man gave her a sideways glance then got up and walked away. It could have been because she was black and he was white. It could have been because she was a woman and he was a man. Outside the Langley campus, the rules were clear. Blacks and whites lived separately, ate separately, socialized separately, worshipped separately, and worked separately. At Langley, the boundaries were fuzzy.

What evidence can you find in this excerpt to support your inference?