Teaching Guide: “When Computers Wore Skirts:" Katherine Johnson, Christine Darden, and the “West Computers”
In this lesson plan, students will learn about the “West Computers” or “West Area Computers” – a group of African-American women who worked as “human computers” at NASA Langley Research Center from the 1940s onward. Students will practice using scientific notation and calculations as if they were computers at NASA Langley Research Center.
Melba Roy Mouton, a computer, in 1960 Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
In this lesson plan, students will learn about the “West Computers” or “West Area Computers” – a group of African-American women who worked as “human computers” at NASA Langley Research Center from the 1940s onward. This story was adapted into the 2016 Academy Award-nominated film Hidden Figures, starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe. They will also learn about two women in particular – Katherine Johnson and Christine Darden – who started working at NASA as computers and made significant contributions to spaceflight. Students practice scientific notation to simulate some of the mathematics computers used.
Grade level(s): 9-12
Guide subjects: Astronomy, Contemporary, History, Mathematics
Minority Group(s): Women, African-American
In-class time: 90 minutes
Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Technology Requirements: Student web access required, Audio/Video required
Common Core Standards: Speaking & Listening, History/Social Studies
Next Generation Science Standards: Earth and Space Sciences, Earth’s Place in the Universe, Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science, Engineering Design, Links Among Engineering, Technology, Science and Society
