Is Left-handedness Gender Related? Copy

Engaging Questions

• How many left-handed students are in your class?
• How would one determine the percent of students that are left handed in your class?
• Why would a bar graph be a better choice for representing left- and right-handed girls and boys?

Teacher Goals

• You will collect data and use it to create bar graphs.

• You will examine the bar graphs and identify trends in left- and right-handed boys and girls.

Learner Goals

• Students will use tally sheets to record data and determine a total.
• Students will used collected data to graph bar graphs.
• Using collected data, students will determine percentages of left- and right-handed girls and boys.

Required Resources

• Materials

  • Graph paper is required
  • data found in the rubric titledLeft/Right (School Site Data).
  • data found in the rubric titledLeft/Right (grade Data).

  • Boy, Girl, Left, Right (by school site)
  • Boy, Girl, Left, Right (in Your Grade)

• These forms and checklists are resources for the activity "Is Lefthandedness Gender Related?

  • Left- or Right-Handed checklist
  • Left/Right (School Site Data)
  • My Class Data
  • My Class Data Tally Sheet

Steps

1. Left- and Right-handed Comparisons

   Ask your classmates if they are left- or right-handed. Tally the results in the rubric below, titled My Class Data.

   • Is Left-Handedness Gender Related Tally Sheet

2. Bar Graph My Class Data

   Based on the class results, use graph paper to make two bar graphs, one for the boys and one for the girls.

3. Extension: School Site Totals

   Find the total student population of the school. Visit each classroom and count the total numbers of left- and right-handed girls and boys in each grade. Tally the results by grade level using the tally sheet provided in step one.

4. Extension: School Site Bar Graphs

   Based on the school site totals, make two bar graphs, one for the boys and one for the girls. One may also create bar graphs for each grade level to make left- and right-handed comparisons.

5. Share Classroom/School Sites Data

   Use the attached for to share your results with other students in other schools.

   • Boy, Girl, Left, Right (By School Site)

6. Draw Conclusions

   Look at bar graphs and write a summary of what the data shows in terms of classroom totals and left- and right-handed girl and boy students. Use the checklist attached below to explore results.
   
   Extension: Determine the percentages of each left- and right-handed girls and boys.

   • Left- or Right-Handed checklist

7. Discussion

   Answer the "Engaging Questions," found in the Teacher's Guide to this activity.

Teacher Notes

• This activity is great for open-ended discussions about the right-handed world in which we live.  Let the children brainstorm about common objects used in everyday life that are geared more for right-handed people.

• Cooperative groups of 2 or 3 students work well with this activity.

• This activity requires surveying other classrooms. Arrangements must be made in advance for the students to poll students in other classrooms.

Learner Notes

• Is your favorite athlete right- or left-handed? Sometimes, sitting by a left-handed person can be difficult. Left-handed people have to use right-handed devices. Have you ever thought about how left-handers feel living in a right-handed world? Are there more left-handed boys or girls? Do some investigation and make your own conclusions.

Mentor Notes

• Your daughter or son has been polling classmates and the student population for hand dominance. Encourage your child to survey your family for hand dominance. Use the extended family, including grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc., as well as the immediate family for best results.