Unit 1- Red Roses

​Rank these words by how familiar you are with them. 1 least familiar, 5 most familiar.

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• Attribute

• Gratifying

• Persistent

• ​Notable

• Inspire​

​Launch Text

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​This text presents a nonfiction narrative, a type of writing inwhich an author explores anexperience using descriptive detailsand events. This is the type ofwriting you will develop in the performance‑Based Assessment atthe end of the unit. As you read, look at the waythe girl’s reactions change as sheunderstands the situation better.

​Red Roses

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​When I was in middle school what I wanted most was to fit in. That’s all anybody wants in middle school. In middle school,you’re suspicious of anyone who stands out for any reason. Derekstood out. We all avoided him.

My mom had always told us never to make fun of people, so I never did. I can’t say the same for my friends. Not that they wereoutright mean or anything, but they’d whisper behind their hands,and it was obvious who they were whispering about. I took nopart in this, as I said, but I have to admit I steered clear of Derek like everyone else

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​Despite my standoffishness, Derek started leaving me littlegifts: every couple of days, something new—treasures out of acereal box or a gum machine would turn up in my locker, in mydesk, in the pocket of my jacket. I did not acknowledge thesethings, and immediately tossed them into the back of my closet when I got home. I guess I could have told my mother, but Ididn’t. Sometimes you have to figure things out for yourself.The weeks passed. I continued to ignore Derek, and made sure to stay out of his way. Still, the presents continued, a different oneeach time. I resented the fact that he spent so much time thinkingup ways to get my attention. Didn’t he have better things to do?