Classified: STEM Aerospace Lessons + Cherokee Language & Values

CLASSIFIED: THE SECRET CAREER OF MARY GOLDA ROSS, CHEROKEE AEROSPACE ENGINEER

Best Users: Educators, School Librarians, STEM Programmers, Home Learners
Best Audience: Children Grades 02-07

“A stellar addition to the genre that will launch careers and inspire for generations, it deserves space alongside stories of other world leaders and innovators. Liftoff. A biography that lands beyond the stars!” —Kirkus Review, Starred Review

ABOUT THE STEM & CHEROKEE LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES

The picture book biography Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer (Millbrook Press) will introduce your students to a STEM heroine.

Ross’ early interest in mathematics led her to a career in aerospace engineering, designing and improving 20th-century aircraft and spacecraft. Not only was her work groundbreaking, but she stepped into roles that had previously not been open to women or Native Americans.

Award-winning author Traci Sorell shares the important lessons that Ross’ Cherokee family and community passed down to her and how those cultural values influenced Ross’ goals and work ethic.

Cherokee Values Poster
Display the Cherokee community values that influenced Ross’ goals and work ethic with this poster. Those values are:

ᎾᏂᏏᎾᏒ ᎤᏁᏉᏤᎲ ᏂᎦᎥ ᎢᎬᎾᏕᎾ Ꮎ ᎬᏅᎢ
Gaining skills in all areas of life.

ᏓᎾᎵᏍᏕᎵᏍᎬ ᏚᏂᎸᏫᏍᏓᏁᎲ ᎠᏂᏐᎢ ᎬᏗ
Working cooperatively with others.

ᎤᎾᎵᏃᎯᏴ ᏄᏢᏉᏛᎾ ᎾᏳᏃ ᎠᏂᏐᎢ ᎨᏦᎵᏤᎲ ᏣᎦᏙᎲᎡᎯ ᎨᏒᎢ
Remaining humble when others recognize your talents.

ᎠᏍᏕᎵᏍᎩ ᏳᎵᏍᏙᏗ ᎢᎦᏘᎭ ᏗᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗ ᎠᎴ ᎤᎾᏜᏅᏓᏕᎲ ᎾᏍᎩᎾ ᏂᎦᏓ
Helping ensure equal education and opportunity for all.

DOWNLOAD Classified: Cherokee Values Poster (PDF)

STEM Aerospace + Cherokee Language & Culture Activities
What is in this collaborative guide brought together by Curious City?
1) Educators Suzanne Costner (National Aerospace Education Teacher of the Year 2017) and Charles Fulco (curriculum specialist and NASA Solar System Ambassador) share their favorite aerospace lessons for Grades 2-7.
2) Author Traci Sorell relates some of the history of the Cherokee language while fellow Cherokee Nation citizens Emilee Chavez and Wade Blevins, M.Ed., share actual Cherokee words for readers and educators to hear and speak as they learn about Mary’s work.
3) STEM activities and the Cherokee language and culture are blended into a journaling activity and an aerospace collage with a full liftoff in the Cherokee language.
DOWNLOAD Classified: STEM Aerospace + Cherokee Language & Culture Activities (PDF)

Teaching Unit & Event Toolkit
Knowing that you may already have an aerospace unit with culminating events, we invite you to place Mary Golda Ross within the framework of your STEM existing teaching and celebration. The toolkit include a Readers Theater Script, Google Slide Background, Event Poster Banner Asset, Nametag Template, YouTube Slides, and a Participation/Award Medallion Template—all centering Ross and groundbreaking work.
DOWNLOAD Classified: Teaching Unit & Event Toolkit (PDF)

Images © Natasha Donovan. Stunning activity design by Lerner Publishing Group.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer
By Traci Sorell
Illustrated by Natasha Donovan
Published by Millbrook Press, Lerner Publishing Group
ISBN-13: 9781541579149
Age Range: 8-13 Years

Mary Golda Ross designed classified airplanes and spacecraft as Lockheed Aircraft Corporation’s first female engineer. Find out how her passion for math and the Cherokee values she was raised with shaped her life and work.

Cherokee author Traci Sorell and Métis illustrator Natasha Donovan trace Ross’s journey from being the only girl in a high school math class to becoming a teacher to pursuing an engineering degree, joining the top-secret Skunk Works division of Lockheed, and being a mentor for Native Americans and young women interested in engineering. In addition, the narrative highlights Cherokee values including education, working cooperatively, remaining humble, and helping ensure equal opportunity and education for all.

“Sorell’s succinct text emphasizes Ross’ reliance on Cherokee values (gaining skills, working cooperatively, remaining humble, and ensuring equal opportunity for all), which played a defining role in her successes and influenced the mentoring work she chose in her retirement. Donovan’s illustrations employ rich earth-tone colors and bold outlines, and often incorporate sequential storytelling techniques, enabling multiple scenes to appear in one spread. Appended with a time line, author’s note, and resources, this biography makes a valuable addition to units on Indigenous individuals or women in STEM.”
—Booklist
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“Meticulously researched and subtly framed according to the Cherokee beliefs that piloted Ross, page-turning prose elevates this Indigenous hidden figure to her rightful place in history. In addition, bold, classic-comics–like illustrations and colors reminiscent of 1950s advertisements give an appropriately retro vibe. A stellar addition to the genre that will launch careers and inspire for generations, it deserves space alongside stories of other world leaders and innovators. Liftoff. A biography that lands beyond the stars!”
—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

THE GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Curious City gave away 20 individual hardcover copies of Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer to teachers, librarians, and STEM educators. Our thanks to Lerner Publishing Group for the generous donation! All winning books came with a U.S. Mint Native American coin with Mary Golda Ross on the reverse. This fabulous gift comes from author Traci Sorell!