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GENERAL ENGLISH · HISTORICAL FIGURES · INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

KATHERINE
JOHNSON

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17X9-I7AT-G95

1 Warm up
When astronauts travel into space, their lives depend on hundreds of different people. Match each
team with what they do.

1. medics a. make sure that the astronauts can communicate with

earth and have the equipment they need to do
experiments
2. trainers b. prepare astronauts for the physical and psychological
challenges of spending long periods in space
3. flight control team c. make sure that astronauts are in excellent physical
condition before, during and after a trip into space
4. payload engineers d. make sure that the space vehicles leave and return safely

Katherine Johnson was an African American woman who worked on the American space programme
for thirty years from its beginning in the 1950s.

Do you know what sort of work she did? What problems do you think she faced in her career? What
else do you know about her?

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2 Vocabulary

Choose the best word to complete the sentences. Explain the meaning of each item.

accuracy / calculations / credit / crucial / disastrous / observations

1. His show that children enjoy singing more than dancing.

2. If you’re taking an exam in English, you want your speaking and writing to show a high level of
.

3. You should really give me for that idea - I thought of it first!

4. My show that the company is making money for the first time in years!

5. Our first attempts to design a new car were , but we learned a lot.

6. Your work has been absolutely to the success of this project - thank you.

Match the words in bold from each sentence with the correct meanings.

1. The International Space Station is a. based on real events but with some imaginary
manned by a crew of seven people. details included or some facts changed
2. I’m reading a fictionalised account of b. showing understanding that someone has worked
the American War of Independence. hard or done something positive
3. My boss gave me a pay rise - finally, c. operated by humans
some recognition for all my hard
work!
4. The US army ended its practice of d. keeping people apart based on skin colour or
racial segregation in 1948. some other characteristic
5. The United States sent several e. sending someone somewhere to do a job
missions to the moon.
6. This pioneering film was one of the f. using new ideas for the first time
first to show how climate change is
affecting the ocean.

How do you think these words will be used in the story of Katherine Johnson’s life?

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KATHERINE JOHNSON

3 Listening 1

You are going to listen to information about the life of Katherine Johnson (1918-2020). Before you
listen, read the sentences and try to predict which ONE of the three options is NOT true. Then listen
and check your ideas.

1. Katherine Johnson studied French / mathematics / physics at university.

2. Johnson did calculations for NACA using computers / adding machines / pencil and paper.

3. Until 1958, African American workers at NACA could not use the same toilets / telephones /
dining facilities as white workers.

4. Johnson planned the flight path / landing area / computer systems of two space missions in the
early 1960s.

5. Later on in her career, she helped with planning missions for the Space Shuttle / exploration of
the solar system / travel to Mars.

6. After her retirement she received various honours including film awards / a medal from the US
President / a building named after her.

4 Language in context

Read these sentences from the recording and explain the meaning of the words in bold.

1. Johnson was a brilliant student and skipped several years at school.

2. However, Johnson and other women still had to ... fight for the right to be listed as authors.

3. Johnson’s work paved the way for more women and more people of colour to work for NASA and
in other related fields.

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5 Listening 2

Read the questions. Can you remember the answers? Listen again to check.

1. Why didn’t Johnson attend school in her hometown?

2. What type of calculations did the human "computers" do for NACA in the 1950s?

3. What important work events did Johnson and her colleagues miss and why? What was their
response?

4. What did astronaut John Glenn require before he flew his mission? Why?

5. How did Johnson help the astronauts on the Apollo 13 mission?

6. What’s the difference between the Hidden Figures book and film?

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6 Language point

Part 1: Look at the sentence below and answer the question.

Which of these options best explains the meaning of the quote?

a. If you read the journal Aviation Week you could find out more about the future of space travel.

b. Johnson wrote articles for Aviation Week about her work for NASA.

c. Johnson and her colleagues didn’t always realise exactly what they were working on until later.

Part 2: Now work in pairs and answer these questions.

1. Identify the tenses of the two underlined verbs.

2. How is the second item formed?

3. Why are these two forms being used together here?

Part 3: Put the verbs in brackets into the correct forms to complete the sentences from the recording
in a logical way. You will need one past simple form and one past perfect form for each sentence.

1 2
When Johnson was born, her mother (be) a housewife but (be) a
teacher.
3
They (need) to make complicated calculations with a high degree of accuracy but at
4
that time, the computer technology to do this (not be developed yet).
5
In fact, Glenn had such respect for Johnson’s work that he (refuse) to fly until she
6
(check) the computer calculations herself.
7
It (take) another thirty years for Johnson to receive recognition for the pioneering
8
work (do).

Think of examples:

1. something that you found out about a long time after it had happened
2. something that hadn’t been developed yet when you were born
3. someone who didn’t receive recognition for something they had done until many years later

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7 Talking point
Discuss these questions in pairs or small groups.
1. What would you ask Johnson if you could meet her?
2. Johnson skipped some years at school. Do you know anyone who has done this? What are the
advantages and disadvantages?
3. Do you think that women have achieved full equality with men in Science, Technology, Engineering
and Medicine (STEM) subjects?
4. This photo shows Johnson receiving a medal from President Obama in 2015. Why is this such an
important moment? Can you think of any similar moments?

5. Which of these Katherine Johnson quotes do you like best and why?

Quote 1

If you want to know, you ask a question. There’s no such thing as a dumb question, it’s dumb if you
don’t ask it.

Quote 2

You lose your curiosity when you stop learning.

Quote 3

Like what you do, and then you will do your best.

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8 Optional extension

Read this short article, using the glossary to help you understand the words in bold.

Play it, become it

To mark International Women’s Day in 2018, the toy company Mattel, famous for its Barbie
range, brought out a series of seventeen dolls featuring inspirational women. Katherine
Johnson is one of three historical figures in the series, along with artist Frida Kahlo and
pioneering pilot Amelia Earhart. The other fourteen dolls include living women from around
the world with remarkable achievements in sports, media, fashion and entertainment. The
idea is that playing with these role model dolls will inspire girls to break boundaries when
they grow up. "You can’t be what you can’t see," said a Mattel executive.

Glossary:

• inspirational: making people feel that they want to do great things

• remarkable: unusual and special (positive)
• role model: someone who people admire and want to copy
• boundaries: limits

Discuss these questions in pairs or small groups.

1. Do you think that Katherine Johnson was a good choice for this range of dolls? Why/not?
2. Are there any other historical women that you think should be included?
3. Do you think that having dolls like these will really have a positive effect on girls?
4. What else can we do to make sure that girls have positive role models?

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