Hidden Figures Book Club

The past few weeks we have formed book clubs in class. I have actually enjoyed them much more than I would’ve expected. When I was in school, I didn’t like reading for school at all. However, this semester I have gained some really great perspective on reading. I personally really want to try to do a book club in my class. I am currently reading Hidden Figures, Young Reader’s Edition. I think the most powerful way to use this book would be to read excerpts to help students visualize and make connections with the civil rights movement. There is a great scene in the cafeteria where one character continually pulls down the “colored” sign. Reading a text like this gives students a better view into the times. Reading a textbook can be difficult to grasp what it really felt like to be a part of this segregation. I can easily see how reading this book would be beneficial for students to get a fuller and deeper understanding. 

            When we picked out this book it was with math in mind, but it has been easier to connect it to science and social studies. I could still myself using this in a math class because it can be inspiring to women desiring to go into a STEM field. I think it would be fun to assign kids one chapter a week and then at the end of the week we would have a content quiz that contained a few questions about the book. Then after the quiz we could have book club meetings. After a test or quiz students need a break so I think this is a fun way to get them a break while still spending time effectively. 

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