vocational (adjective) related to a skill, trade, or occupation

• Sample Sentence: Jimmy is in the vocational track at his school, so his classes are geared toward preparing him to get a job after high school.

• Turn and Talk: What kind of vocational program would interest you most: child care, auto repair, carpentry, health care, or plumbing?

inherently (adverb) naturally, belonging to the basic nature of something

• Sample Sentence: Some people think comprehensive schools are inherently better than college preparatory schools.

• Turn and Talk: Do you think people are inherently selfish? Explain.

exceed (verb) to be greater than; to go beyond

• Sample Sentence: People who support college preparatory schools believe that the value of an academic-focused education exceeds the value of job-focused training for high school students.

• Turn and Talk: Which musical artists or sports teams exceeded the expectations of their fans this year?

equivalent (adjective) alike or equal

• Sample Sentence: School segregation ended when lawyers proved that schools serving black and white students were not providing equivalent educations.

• Turn and Talk: Describe a sports game you have watched where the teams were not equivalent.

focus (noun) center of activity or interest

• Sample Sentence: The focus of Jimmy’s math class is the way that businesses manage money.

• Turn and Talk: Do you think schools need to change their focus from academics to real-world skills?

*focus (verb) to direct attention to

• Sample Sentence: Simeon decided to focus on studying instead of playing video games so that he could improve his grades.

• Turn and Talk: Do parents focus too much, or not enough, on manners? Explain your answer.

*alternate part of speech