Procedures

• SET UP

  This lesson offers several options for you to use with your students whether you are teaching in class, using a hybrid model, or engaging through distance learning. It can be completed in steps as a class or students can move at their own pace and complete the activities independently.

  You can post links to the videos in the lesson along with the related handouts and engage in discussion to share responses on a discussion board or learning management system.

  You can also save and share the following Google resources for students to use with this lesson.

  Handout: Graphic Organizer (Google Docs).

  Handout: Choice Board (Google Slides).

  In Google, choose "File" then "Make a Copy" to get your own copy. You can make any needed adjustments in the instructions such as which activities students need to complete, when it is due, etc. and then make it available to them via Google.

• WARM UP

  Pose the following brainstorming question to your students, directing them to record their responses in their graphic organizers and share with a partner, a small group, or the whole class:

  • How do computers work and what purposes do they serve?

• INTRODUCTION

  Play the two following introductory video clips of Kathy Kleiman, the author of Proving Ground and an expert on internet governance at American University College of Law, talking about her research.

  Direct your students to answer each of the related questions in their graphic organizers and share their responses with a partner, a small group, or the whole class.

• Clip #1: A Photograph (1:34).

  • What “intrigued” Kathy Kleiman about the photograph?
  • Based on the clip, what question did Kleiman ask about the photograph and what response did she receive?
  • What did Kleiman later discover?

• Clip #2: The Research (5:12).

  • Based on the clip, what was Kathy Kleiman’s research process?
  • According to Kleiman, when and how did she become “close” with the ENIAC Six?
  • Describe what you see and hear in the documentary excerpt.

• VOCABULARY

  Direct your students to their graphic organizers to view the vocabulary terms that will appear in the lesson in the chart in their graphic organizer handout. The vocabulary words are also listed to the right on this webpage. We recommend having your students define and present the terms in a jigsaw activity to save time.

  Depending on time and resources, you may consider having your students define and present the terms in a Frayer's Model activity, where each student takes one or two words. Students can then post their models around the room for reference throughout the lesson. Note: this is not an all-encompassing list of terms included in each video. We recommend you previewing the video clips to determine any necessary additions/subtractions to this list for your specific students.

• BACKGROUND

  Have your students view the two following video clips of Kathy Kleiman, the author of Proving Ground and an expert on internet governance at American University College of Law, providing background about ENIAC and the six women.

  Direct your students to answer each of the related questions in their graphic organizers and share their responses with a partner, a small group, or the whole class.

• Clip #3: ENIAC and the Women (1:02).

  • Based on the clip, what does the acronym “ENIAC” stand for?
  • According to Kathy Kleiman, what was ENIAC?
  • What does Kleiman mean when she says, “men are hard and women are soft?”

• Clip #4: The Women and College (1:15).

  • What was “unusual” about the ENIAC Six?
  • Why did the ENIAC Six study mathematics, according to Kathy Kleiman?

• CHOICE BOARD EXPLORATION

  Next, have your students choose (or assign) two of the six people/groups listed on the choice board (Google Slides). The people/groups are also listed below.

  Have your students watch the related clip and answer the questions for each of the two selected/assigned people/groups. Direct your students to prepare to share their findings with the class when finished.

• Clip #5: Kay McNulty & Frances Bilas (6:18).

  • Describe Kay McNulty’s background and “interest in math.”
  • Summarize Frances Bilas’ “life story.”
  • When did McNulty and Bilas graduate from college? Describe this time period and its impact on Philadelphia, according to Kleiman.
  • Why was the U.S. Army looking for “women math majors?” Describe the ballistics trajectory process, according to Kathy Kleiman.
  • What role did McNulty and Bilas have with the Army and how much did they get paid?

• Clip #6: Betty Snyder & Marlyn Wescoff (2:06).

  • Describe Betty Snyder’s background, based on the clip.
  • Why was Snyder “disappointed?”
  • What was Marlyn Wescoff’s academic background, according to Kathy Kleiman?
  • How did Wescoff’s experience in business prepare her for work with the Army and ENIAC?

• Clip #7: Ruth Lichterman & Jean Jennings (1:44).

  • Describe Ruth Lichterman’s background, based on the clip.
  • How did Lichterman differ from her colleagues, according to Kathy Kleiman?
  • Based on the clip, what was Jean Jennings’ background?
  • How did Jennings become involved with the Army?

• Clip #8: The University of Pennsylvania (3:28).

  • Where was the ENIAC computing program “based?”
  • According to Kathy Kleiman, describe the Moore School’s relationship with the U.S. Army.
  • Based on the clip, what was the role of the Aberdeen Proving Ground?
  • “At its height,” how many women worked as Computers at the Moore School?
  • By 1943, what was “apparent?” What does the Army decide to “fund?”

• Clip #9: John Mauchly & Presper Eckert (1:10).

  • Based on the clip, what was John Mauchly’s academic background?
  • Why did Mauchly come to the Moore School, according to Kathy Kleiman?
  • How did Mauchly and Presper Eckert “meet?”
  • Describe Eckert’s background, according to the clip.

• ENGAGEMENT

  Have your students view the six following video clips of Kathy Kleiman, the author of Proving Ground and an expert on internet governance at American University College of Law, providing additional information regarding the development of ENIAC and the roles of the ENIAC Six.

  Direct your students to answer each of the related questions in their graphic organizers and share their responses with a partner, a small group, or the whole class.

• Clip #10: Project X (5:00).

  • How “aware” were the Computer women about each other’s projects?
  • What did Kay McNulty and her team see when they were invited to see Project X, according to Kathy Kleiman?
  • Did ENIAC’s “importance” dawn on the women? Why or why not?
  • Based on the clip, why were six women invited to Aberdeen Proving Ground, and what work continued when they came back to Philadelphia?

• Clip #11: Los Alamos & After (3:22).

  • Why were John Mauchly and Presper Eckert told to “stop” their work?
  • What did the Los Alamos scientists use ENIAC for, according to Kathy Kleiman?
  • Based on the clip, what “big moment” did the women have at Los Alamos?

• Clip #12: Programming ENIAC (4:42).

  • What was “complicated” about ENIAC?
  • According to Kathy Kleiman, how did the women serve as the “operating system” of the ENIAC?
  • How quickly did ENIAC compute the calculations that previously took 30-40 hours to complete, based on the clip?
  • Describe the steps of using and “debugging” the ENIAC, according to Kleiman.
  • Why were the “parallel calculations” significant?

• Clip #13: Demonstration Day (4:30).

  • When did the Army “accept” ENIAC?
  • Based on the clip, what was the role of the women on Demonstration Day? Why?
  • According to Kathy Kleiman, how did the earlier press event prepare the team for Demonstration Day?

• Clip #14: The Army, the Inventors, and the University (2:46).

  • How much did the Army invest in ENIAC, according to Kathy Kleiman?
  • Who had the “rights” to ENIAC after it was developed? Why?
  • Based on the clip, what “dispute” did John Mauchly and Presper Eckert have?

• Clip #15: Post War (2:54).

  • After the war was over, what happened to the ENIAC Six, according to Kathy Kleiman?
  • Based on the clip, how did the ENIAC Six’s post war experiences compare to other women who had worked during World War II?

• APPLICATION

  In another portion of the interview with Kathy Kleiman, she mentions two Hall of Fames that have included one or more of the ENIAC Six: the Computer History Museum Hall of Fellows and the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame.

  Have your students select one of the ENIAC Six women they studied in the choice board activity and another woman from either of the Hall of Fame lists to study in further detail. Using the chart included in their graphic organizers as a guide, have your students prepare a presentation comparing the two addressing the criteria listed below:

  • Early Life
  • Academic Background
  • Network and Influences
  • Professional Experiences
  • Contributions

• REFLECTION

  Have your students view the two following video clips of Kathy Kleiman, the author of Proving Ground and an expert on internet governance at American University College of Law, providing reflective thoughts regarding the contributions of the ENIAC Six and the future of STEM education.

  Direct your students to answer each of the related questions in their graphic organizers and share their responses with a partner, a small group, or the whole class.

• Clip #16: ENIAC Six Contributions (1:45).

  • According to Kathy Kleiman, how did the ENIAC Six “earn” a spot in history?
  • Based on the clip, what contributions did the ENIAC Six have for the remainder of their lives?

• Clip #17: Kathy Kleiman and the Future (4:37).

  • Based on the clip, describe Kathy Kleiman’s academic and professional background.
  • According to Kleiman, what “problems” does the computing profession currently have?
  • What will it “take” to encourage girls to pursue careers in STEM into the future?

• CLOSURE

  After your students are finished, direct them to complete the final culminating writing prompt in their graphic organizers, and have students share their responses, comparing their perspectives with their classmates' perspectives: Having now learned about the development of the world’s first computer, describe the legacy of the ENIAC Six. Be sure to include evidence from the video clips in the lesson to support your argument.