Figures
Movie
Watching
Notes
Guide
Name
________________________________________
1.
Characters:
Give
the
first
and
last
names
of
each
person.
The
three
women
who
work
at
NASA
___________________________________,
____________________________________,
_____________________________________
Which
of
the
three
women
is
…
the
engineer?
_________________________________
the
computer
scientist?
__________________________________________
the
mathematician?
_________________________________________
The
head
of
the
whole
Space
Task
Group:
___________________________________
The
engineer
who
is
“second
in
command”
in
the
Space
Task
Group:
_________________________________
2.
Setting:
Where
does
this
movie
take
place?
__________________________________
When?
___________________________
Is
the
movie
fiction,
non-‐fiction,
or
somewhere
between
the
two?
_______________________________
Who
was
the
U.S.
president
at
the
time?
___________________________________________________
Was
Martin
Luther
King,
Jr.
still
alive?
___________________________________________________
Were
“colored”
treated
the
same
as
“whites”?
____________
If
no,
give
an
example.
Were
women
treated
the
same
as
men?
____________
If
no,
give
an
example.
3.
Katherine
gets
an
assignment
to
the
Space
Task
Group.
Why
does
she
get
the
assignment?
What
kind
of
math
can
she
do?
4.
Mary
wants
to
become
an
engineer
but
needs
to
take
additional
classes.
Where
does
she
take
the
classes?
Who
does
she
have
to
convince
to
let
her
enroll?
5.
Dorothy
sneaks
a
book
out
of
the
library.
What
kind
of
book
is
it?
Why
does
she
have
to
sneak
it
out?
Why
does
she
need
the
book?
6.
Who
was
the
first
Russian
to
orbit
the
Earth?
___________________________________
How
many
times
did
he
orbit
the
earth?
_______
Who
was
the
first
American
to
orbit
the
Earth?
_____________________________________
How
many
times
did
he
orbit
the
Earth?
_______
Who
orbited
first,
a
Russian
or
an
American?
_______________________
7.
Who
got
the
IBM
(I____________________
B____________________
M____________________)
to
work?
How
many
multiplications
can
the
IBM
compute
per
second?
________________________
9.
Who
figured
out
the
landing
coordinates?
__________________________________
Using
what
method?
_____________________________
Was
this
new
math
or
old
math?
____________________________
10.
Who
knocked
down
the
“colored
ladies
room”
sign?
_________________________________________
Explain
why.
11.
What
parting
gift
does
Katherine
get
right
before
her
wedding?
_____________________________
What
is
the
significance
of
the
gift?
12.
Right
before
John
Glenn’s
lift
off,
what
happens?
Who
does
John
Glenn
ask
to
check
the
coordinates?
13.
Who
becomes
the
supervisor
at
the
end
of
the
movie?
____________________________________
What
does
Mrs.
Mitchell
call
her
at
that
time
and
what
is
the
significance
of
this?
14.
How
many
years
were
Katherine
and
Jim
married?
___________
What
happened
to
Katherine’s
first
husband?
___________
15.
When
Mary
goes
to
night
school,
where
is
the
“colored
section”
of
the
classroom?
16.
How
many
children
do
each
of
the
women
have?
Katherine:
_______
Mary:
_____________
Dorothy:
___________
17.
How
many
times
is
John
Glenn
scheduled
to
orbit
the
Earth?
_______
How
long
is
it
supposed
to
take?
_______
How
many
times
does
he
actually
orbit
the
Earth?
________
Why
did
they
have
to
bring
him
down
early?
__________
18.
Where
did
John
Glenn
take
off?
_____________________
19.
Where
did
John
Glenn
land?
________________________
20.
What
does
Paul
bring
Katherine
at
the
end
of
the
movie?
___________________
What
is
the
significance
of
this?
Hidden
Figures
(movie
watching
guided
notes
or
possible
quiz
/
test)
1.
Characters:
Give
the
first
and
last
names
of
each
person.
The
three
women
who
work
at
NASA
Katherine
Goble
/
Katherine
Johnson,
Dorothy
Vaughn,
Mary
Jackson
Which
of
the
three
women
is
…
the
engineer?
Mary
the
computer
scientist?
Dorothy
the
mathematician?
Katherine
The
head
of
the
whole
Space
Task
Group:
Al
Harrison
The
engineer
who
is
“second
in
command”
in
the
Space
Task
Group:
Paul
Stafford
2.
Setting:
Where
does
this
movie
take
place?
Hampton
Virginia
/
Langley
AFB
When?
1961-‐1962
Is
the
movie
fiction,
non-‐fiction,
or
somewhere
between
the
two?
Somewhere
between
the
two
Who
was
the
U.S.
president
at
the
time?
John
F
Kennedy
JR
Was
Martin
Luther
King,
Jr.
still
alive?
yes
Were
“colored”
treated
the
same
as
“whites”?
no
If
no,
give
an
example.
Separate
bathrooms,
lunch
rooms,
water
fountains,
segregated
busses,
library,
etc.
Were
women
treated
the
same
as
men?
No
If
no,
give
an
example.
Clothing
they
had
to
wear
to
at
NASA,
men
thinking
that
math
would
be
too
hard
for
them
(Jim
Johnson
to
Katherine
Goble),
etc.
3.
Katherine
gets
an
assignment
to
the
Space
Task
Group.
Why
does
she
get
the
assignment?
She’s
excellent
with
the
numbers.
What
kind
of
math
can
she
do?
Analytic
Geometry
4.
Mary
wants
to
become
an
engineer
but
needs
to
take
additional
classes.
Where
does
she
take
the
classes?
The
all-‐white
high
school
(at
night
only)
Who
does
she
have
to
convince
to
let
her
enroll?
The
judge
5.
Dorothy
sneaks
a
book
out
of
the
library.
What
kind
of
book
is
it?
a
book
about
the
computer
programming
language
FORTRAN
Why
does
she
have
to
sneak
it
out?
Because
it
wasn’t
available
in
the
“colored
section”
Why
does
she
need
the
book?
so
that
she
can
learn
how
to
program
the
IBM
7090
data
processing
system
and
teach
it
to
the
women
in
her
department
6.
Who
was
the
first
Russian
to
orbit
the
Earth?
Yuri
Gagarin
How
many
times
did
he
orbit
the
earth?
1
Who
was
the
first
American
to
orbit
the
Earth?
John
Glenn
How
many
times
did
he
orbit
the
Earth?
3
Who
orbited
first,
a
Russian
or
an
American?
A
Russian
7.
Who
got
the
IBM
(International
Business
Machine)
to
work?
How
many
multiplications
can
the
IBM
compute
per
second?
24000
9.
Who
figured
out
the
how
to
bring
Glenn’s
orbit
from
an
elliptical
to
a
parabolic?
Katherine
Using
what
method?
Euler’s
Method
Was
this
new
math
or
old
math?
old
10.
Who
knocked
down
the
“colored
ladies
room”
sign?
Mr.
Harrison
Explain
why.
Because
Katherine
was
the
best
mathematician
on
in
the
STG
and
she
had
to
spend
40
minutes
traveling
to
another
building
to
use
the
colored
ladies
room.
11.
What
parting
gift
does
Katherine
get
right
before
her
wedding?
A
pearl
necklace
What
is
the
significance
of
the
gift?
This
is
the
only
jewelry
women
are
allowed
to
wear
in
the
STG
division
at
NASA
and
Katherine
didn’t
have
a
pearl
necklace
since
she
wasn’t
being
paid
enough
to
afford
one.
12.
Right
before
John
Glenn’s
lift
off,
what
happens?
The
IBM’s
coordinates
don’t
match.
Who
does
John
Glenn
ask
to
check
the
coordinates?
“the
smart
girl”
Katherine
13.
Who
becomes
the
supervisor
at
the
end
of
the
movie?
Dorothy
What
does
Mrs.
Mitchell
call
her
at
that
time
and
what
is
the
significance
of
this?
Mrs.
Mitchell
calls
Dorothy
“Mrs.
Vaughn”
which
suggests
that
she
is
now
at
least
equal,
if
not
superior
to
her.
14.
How
many
years
were
Katherine
and
Jim
married?
56
What
happened
to
Katherine’s
first
husband?
He
died
15.
When
Mary
goes
to
night
school,
where
is
the
“colored
section”
of
the
classroom?
There
isn’t
one
so
she
sits
in
the
front.
16.
How
many
children
do
each
of
the
women
have?
Katherine:
3
Mary:
2
Dorothy:
2
17.
How
many
times
is
John
Glenn
scheduled
to
orbit
the
Earth?
7
How
long
is
it
supposed
to
take?
10.5
hours
How
many
times
does
he
actually
orbit
the
Earth?
3
Why
did
they
have
to
bring
him
down
early?
the
heat
shield
was
malfunctioning
18.
Where
did
John
Glenn
take
off?
Florida
19.
Where
did
John
Glenn
land?
_the
Bahamas
20.
What
does
Paul
bring
Katherine
at
the
end
of
the
movie?
a
cup
of
coffee
What
is
the
significance
of
this?
The
gesture
signifies
that
they
are
working
as
equals.
Hidden
Figures
Assessment
Name
____________________________________________
1.
This
movie
takes
place
during
8.
Who
does
Mary
have
to
convince
to
A.
the
Civil
Rights
movement
allow
her
to
take
extension
classes?
B.
the
Cold
War
A.
her
boss
at
NASA
C.
the
early
1960s
B.
the
judge
D.
all
of
the
above
C.
the
principal
D.
the
superintendent
2.
Which
of
the
following
women
was
not
a
NASA
employee
in
the
movie?
9.
At
the
beginning
of
the
movie,
the
cop
A.
Mary
Jackson
A.
gives
them
a
speeding
ticket
B.
Alice
Harrison
B.
arrests
them
for
loitering
C.
Katherine
Goble
C.
helps
them
change
their
tire
D.
Dorothy
Vaughan
D.
escorts
them
to
work
3.
The
“enemy”
of
the
United
States
10.
Why
does
Dorothy
have
to
sneak
a
during
the
movie
was:
book
out
of
the
library?
Because
A.
Russia
A.
the
library
was
closing
B.
China
B.
she
didn’t
have
a
library
card
C.
ISIS
C.
the
book
wasn’t
in
the
colored
section
D.
Germany
D.
the
book
was
a
display
copy
only
4.
How
many
years
were
Jim
and
11.
How
many
multiplications
can
the
Katherine
Johnson
married?
IBM
7090
DPS
do
per
second?
A.
30
A.
24
B.
50
B.
240
C.
56
C.
2400
D.
61
D.
24000
5.
At
the
beginning
of
the
movie,
the
main
12.
What
did
the
STG
give
Katherine
as
an
character
solves
a
_________
equation.
engagement
present?
A.
cubic
A.
a
pearl
necklace
B.
quartic
B.
a
coffee
cup
C.
logarithmic
C.
money
for
the
honeymoon
D.
sinusoidal
D.
a
party
6.
Who
is
the
lead
engineer
at
NASA?
13.
The
name
of
the
math
used
to
A.
Paul
Stafford
calculate
the
Go
No-‐Go
B.
Jim
Johnson
A.
The
Goble
Theorem
C.
Mary
Jackson
B.
Conic
Sections
D.
Alan
Shepherd
C.
Quadratic
Formula
D.
Euler’s
Method
7.
The
president
of
the
U.S.A.
during
the
movie
is
A.
Martin
Luther
King,
Jr.
B.
John
Glenn
C.
John
Kennedy
D.
Bobby
Kennedy
14.
Who
said,
“Computers
don’t
author
reports.”
20.
Who
knocked
down
the
“Colored
A.
Paul
Stafford
Ladies
Room”
sign?
B.
Jim
Johnson
A.
Paul
Stafford
C.
Mary
Jackson
B.
Al
Harrison
D.
Al
Harrison
C.
Dorothy
Vaughan
D.
John
Glenn
15.
What
does
Paul
bring
Katherine
at
the
end
of
the
movie?
21.
At
the
end
of
the
movie,
Mrs.
Mitchell
A.
a
new
chair
calls
Dorothy
B.
a
cup
of
coffee
A.
Mrs.
Vaughn
C.
a
newspaper
B.
Ma’am
D.
a
report
with
her
name
on
it
C.
Madame
Supervisor
D.
Mrs.
Supervisor
16.
If
the
colored
computers
do
not
learn
how
to
program
the
new
IBM,
then
22.
Right
before
the
launch,
what
A.
they
will
be
reassigned
happens?
B.
they
will
stay
at
the
low
status
job
A.
the
IBM’s
calculations
don’t
match
C.
they
will
be
moved
to
Florida
B.
Katherine
checks
the
numbers
D.
they
will
lose
their
jobs
C.
Katherine
is
allowed
in
the
control
room
D.
all
of
the
above
17.
John
Glenn
was
scheduled
to
orbit
the
earth
_____
times
and
was
able
to
complete
23.
During
John
Glenn’s
flight,
what
starts
_____
orbits.
to
malfunction?
A.
3
,
1
A.
the
compressor
B.
3
,
3
B.
the
heat
shield
C.
7
,
3
C.
the
parachute
D.
7
,
1
D.
the
steering
column
18.
Jim
Johnson
asks
Katherine
to
24.
The
movie
Hidden
Figures
is
A.
marry
her
A.
100%
true
B.
go
out
to
dinner
B.
based
on
true
events
C.
calculate
launch
and
landing
C.
a
documentary
D.
borrow
her
car
D.
100%
fiction
19.
Who
was
first
person
to
orbit
earth?
A.
John
Glenn
25.
What
is
your
favorite
part
of
the
B.
Paul
Stafford
movie?
Answer
in
at
least
two
complete
C.
Alan
Shepard
sentences.
D.
Yuri
Gagarin
Answers:
1.
D
2.
B
3.
A
4.
C
5.
B
6.
A
7.
C
8.
B
9.
D
10.
C
11.
D
12.
A
13.
D
14.
A
15.
B
16.
D
17.
C
18.
A
19.
D
20.
B
21.
A
22.
D
23.
B
24.
B
25.
-‐-‐-‐
Questions
written
and
compiled
by
Virge
Cornelius
in
May
2017.
Please
use
them
with
your
students!
Please
email
me
(virginia.cornelius@gocommodores.org)
if
you
see
any
errors!