5 4 3 2 1 1. jet-lagged her. Shewasjet-lagged It wasareal,physicalpart ofapastthathasmanyunknowns.(Iforgive vomited on.Itwasthelastthingmyorphanage caregiversdressedmein. how sheshouldn’t haveletourguidethrowawaythesweatsuitthatI mom fedmeabagofcandythatIpromptlythrew uponher. Itellher brother andmethephotosofwhenwefirstmet. We talkabouthowmy acknowledge thatit’s alsoaboutloss, not justgain. losing theirchild.GotchaDayfeelslikeaday of fakesmilesifwedon’t joyful adoptionexperiencemayalsoinvolvesomeone else’s sorrowover and thankful.However, Ialsowanttoremindpeoplethatsomeone’s everyone expectsthevictimstobehappyandthankful.Iam would belikehadtherebeennoGotchaDay. want toaskthemwhytheydidn’t keepus.We thinkaboutwhatourlives it. We thinkaboutourbiologicalparents andwishweknewthem.We about ourpast.We reflectonhowlittlesomeofusactuallyknow about feelings ofhappiness.GotchaDayisonethosetimeswhenwethink adopted kidsareworkingthroughit,theirfeelingsoflossoverride they mayneverunderstand.It’s alottohandle.Andsometimeswhile experienced abandonmentorhasbeengivenupforadoptionreasons their lives,thatchildinarmshasgonethroughalot.The Gotcha Day. acknowledgement thatadoptionisalsoaboutlossmissingfrom be difficult. Itcansometimes leavekidslikemesadandconfused.The while Iappreciateeverythingelsemyparentsgiveme,GotchaDaycan time, myfamilymarkedthatdaywemetinChinaas“GotchaDay.” friend. SheisthewomanIadmiremostinworld.Butforlongest have stayedthereforthepast12years.Sheismymom.best and broughtmetoAmerica.Asmymomsays,Iranintoherarms I wasfive-and-a-halfyearsoldwhenmyparentsadoptedmeinChina OPINION PIECE Sophie Johnson for Celebration “Gotcha Day”Isn’taCause to wear.) knowing mymomhad a suitcasefullofnewthingsfromAmericafor me In myfamily, wenowcelebrate FamilyDay. Myparentsshowmy Some saythatadoptionlossistheonlyemotionalshockwhen While adoptiveparentsmaybecelebratingachildfinallyentering Lots offamiliescelebratethedaytheymettheiradoptedchild.But GRADE 7•UNIT1Accessible Leveled Text •“Gotcha Day”Isn’t a CauseforCelebration adj. exhaustedfrom long-distancetravel. 1 andtheguidetookaway thedirtyclothes NOTES in yourstudentedition. original text,whichappears an alternateversionofthe Johnson’s opinionpiece.Itis paraphrased fromSophie This textisadaptedand 1 © Alyson Aliano © by Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. 2 6 Every Family Day, we laugh about my little brother’s Elvis sneer and NOTES his confusion on the day we got him. I was 7 at the time. We laugh about how I took one look at him and asked my mom if we could get a puppy instead. We remember how my dad threw a ball at his head. My mom screamed and my brother, without even looking up from coloring, caught the pitch perfectly. “A leftie! Yes!!” shouted out my dad, a life- long baseball fan. I’m not sure if the Chinese officials thought it was funny, but we sure laugh about it every Family Day.

7 I love our Family Day. It celebrates our love for one another. And we always end it by lighting a candle for our first families and going outside to talk to the moon.

2. Elvis Elvis Presley, wildly popular singer and actor, also known for his smiling sneer.

“’Gotcha Day’ Isn’t a Cause for Celebration” by Sophie Johnson, from Huffington Post, November 3, 2014. Used with permission of the author. © by Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.

GRADE 7 • UNIT 1 • Accessible Leveled Text • “Gotcha Day” Isn’t a Cause for Celebration 2