Black History 365 Sub Plan: Katherine Johnson and the Math of Space Travel | Middle School Math| 60-Minute Lesson

This Black History 365 one-day sub plan introduces middle school students to Katherine Johnson, the African American mathematician whose calculations helped support major space missions. Students learn how mathematics connects to space travel while practicing real-world problems involving distance, rate, time, precision, and accuracy.

Designed for a 60-minute class period, this resource requires minimal teacher guidance and is ideal for substitute days, emergency lesson plans, Black History Month, math enrichment, STEM units, career exploration, or year-round culturally responsive instruction.

This resource includes a substitute directions page, student reading passage, vocabulary preview, comprehension questions, distance-rate-time practice, precision check activity, CER writing response, exit ticket, extension activity, and answer key.