gender (noun) the behavioral or cultural traits usually associated with one sex; a social category related to sexual identity

• Sample Sentence: In other cases, schools separated girls and boys into different classes and covered different content, based on gender expectations.

• Turn and Talk: Discuss a time when you were not allowed to participate in an activity because of your gender.

comprise (verb) to make up; to consist of

• Sample Sentence: All genders comprise the workforce.

• Turn and Talk: Do you think it is important that a school comprises students of different genders?

adapt (verb) to change to fit a new situation

• Sample Sentence: If people grow up working with only one gender, they may have trouble adapting to mixed-gender situations.

• Turn and Talk: Why might students have a hard time adapting to middle school?

conduct (verb) to behave in a particular manner; to plan and carry out

• Sample Sentence: For students to succeed as adults, they must learn how to conduct themselves around different genders.

• Turn and Talk: Do you think it is dishonest to conduct yourself one way in front of some friends and another way in front of other friends?

*conduct (noun) behavior

• Sample Sentence: The guide discussed appropriate conduct before allowing the class to enter the museum.

• Turn and Talk: How does your conduct change when you are in a classroom versus when you are at the shopping mall?

paradigm (noun) a model or example; a framework

• Sample Sentence: Supporters of the single-gender paradigm in education say that students learn better when separated by gender.

• Turn and Talk: What are some rules that you would include in your personal paradigm for success?

*alternate part of speech