Let’s Learn About Katherine Johnson! 

This printable book is perfect for students learning about Katherine Johnson, influential American women, or during Black History Month.

This mini-book tells the story of Katherine Johnson’s life and legacy in a way that young readers can understand and enjoy. The book includes fun facts, grade-level appropriate text, and images to help students understand his contributions to society.

Looking for Katherine Johnson Fun Facts?

We’ve got a few of those! Check out these surprising facts about Katherine Johnson!

• Katherine Johnson was a mathematician and NASA team member who calculated flight paths for the first American to orbit Earth, John Glenn, and helped ensure the Apollo astronauts could safely land on the moon.

• Katherine Johnson was born in 1918 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. She earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from West Virginia State College in 1942 before she entered her 20s!

• Katherine Johnson worked at NASA from 1953 to 1986 when she retired at 70. She worked on many projects during her time there—from calculating trajectories for space missions to writing software that would help astronauts land on Mars.
• Katherine Johnson received numerous awards over the course of her career, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the highest award given by the United States government), which was awarded to her by President Barack Obama in 2015.

Influential Black American Printables for Kindergarten and 1st!

It’s hard to find resources for the littles, but not on our website! Here are a few ideas for using the mini-book to supplement your February lesson plans.

• Have students read the book together as a class and follow up with a discussion about what they learned.
• Have students complete the interactive activities in the book, either individually or in small groups.
• Have students create a timeline of her life using the information from the book.
• Have students write their short biography of Katherine Johnson, using the information from the book as a guide.

This mini-book is a great way to make learning about Katherine Johnson and some of the most influential Black Americans in history fun and engaging for young students. Download, print, and copy your mini-book and you’re ready to go!

This resource was created by Lindsey Phillips, a teacher in Michigan and Teach Starter Collaborator.