Most fifth graders know that astronauts went to space. Far fewer know about the people on the ground who made sure they got there and came home safely. Katherine Johnson was one of them. She was a mathematician whose calculations helped launch America’s first astronauts, at a time when Black women were often kept out of the rooms where big decisions were made.
This free printable worksheet tells her story in a short, engaging biography, and uses it to teach students how biographies work.
For More grade 5 worksheets, Visit Grade 5 Reading Comprehension Worksheets.
What Students Will Read
The biography follows Katherine Johnson’s life in time order.
She was born on August 26, 1918, in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, and from an early age she counted everything: the steps to church, the dishes she washed, even the stars. She learned so quickly that she started high school at age ten. Because Black students in her county couldn’t attend school past eighth grade, her family moved so she could keep studying. She graduated from college at eighteen with degrees in mathematics and French.
In 1953, she began working at a research laboratory run by NACA, the agency that later became NASA. She was hired as a “computer,” a person who solved difficult math problems by hand. She worked in a separate office for Black women mathematicians at first, but she asked questions, shared ideas, and insisted on attending meetings where women were rarely invited.
In 1961, she calculated the flight path for Alan Shepard, the first American in space. In 1962, when John Glenn prepared to orbit Earth, he asked for Katherine to check the electronic computer’s numbers, reportedly saying, “If she says they’re good, then I’m ready to go.”
The biography ends with her work on Apollo 11, her Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, the book and film Hidden Figures, and her simple advice: “Like what you do, and then you will do your best.”
Why Biography Belongs in Grade 5
Biographies do something no other genre can: they show that history is made by real people with real choices. Fifth graders are ready to see how a person’s background, challenges, and decisions connect to the things they achieved.
Katherine Johnson’s story is especially rich for this. Students can trace how her childhood love of numbers led to her career, how unfair rules shaped her education, and how her confidence opened doors that were meant to stay closed. These cause-and-effect links are exactly what upper elementary standards ask students to explain.
Biographies also teach important nonfiction features. Students learn to use dates to track time order, notice how quotes bring a real person to life, and tell the difference between facts and the author’s word choices.
What’s Inside the Worksheet
The worksheet follows the same four-part structure used across the site.
Part A: Multiple Choice. Four questions check what Katherine liked to do as a child, why her family moved, what her first job at NACA was, and why John Glenn asked for her.
Part B: True or False. Three statements, including one that tests whether students notice the difference between Alan Shepard and Neil Armstrong. It’s a common mix-up and a good lesson in careful reading.
Part C: Elements of a Biography. A short note explains what a biography is and how it uses facts, dates, quotes, and time order. Students list three important events with their years, then choose a quote and explain what it reveals.
Part D: Think and Explain. Students identify personal qualities that helped Katherine succeed and support their answer with two details from the text.
A separate answer key includes all answers and sample responses.
How to Use This Worksheet
Build a timeline. Have students turn the dates in the biography into a simple timeline before answering the questions. It makes Part C almost effortless and reinforces time order.
Connect to math class. Talk about what it means to calculate a “flight path.” Even a simple discussion about why astronauts need exact numbers makes Katherine’s work feel real.
Pair it with the film. If your class has watched Hidden Figures, or plans to, this worksheet makes an excellent before or after activity. The film is rated PG, so check that it’s right for your group first.
At home, the worksheet takes about 30 to 35 minutes and makes a great conversation starter about perseverance and fairness.
Tips for Teaching Biography
Ask “Why does this detail matter?” When students read that Katherine counted the stars, ask how that detail connects to the rest of her life. Biographers choose details on purpose.
Separate fact from opinion. Have students find one sentence that is purely factual, such as a date, and one that shows the author’s view, such as describing her as quick to learn.
Talk about obstacles. Katherine faced unfair rules about school and work. Ask students how she responded. This builds understanding of both history and character.
Use the quotes. Glenn’s words show how others saw her, while her own advice shows how she saw herself. Comparing the two is a thoughtful discussion for fifth grade.
Invite students to research. Ask them to choose another scientist or inventor and write three key events in time order, using this biography as a model.
More Grade 5 Reading Practice
Students who enjoyed a story about science and problem-solving will like The Robotics Rescue, our Grade 5 realistic fiction worksheet. For another real scientific journey, read The Race to Map the Ocean Floor. History fans will also enjoy Ellis Island, 1907, a story about another determined young person facing a new beginning.
Younger readers can start with the Grade 3 biography of Wilma Rudolph, another true story of determination. Students curious about space can look ahead to Two Paths to the Moon in Grade 6. You can also browse all of our Grade 5 reading comprehension worksheets.
Download the Worksheet and Answer Key
The Grade 5 biography worksheet and its separate answer key are free to download and print. They need no prep and work well in ELA, social studies, a STEM unit, or Black History Month. Print a copy and introduce your students to the woman who counted to the Moon.