WilsonAcademy | Differentiated Text Instruction
ENRICHED TEXT
The World’s Shortest Man
(June 2011)
On June 12, 2011, Junrey Balawing celebrated his 18th birthday. That
was also the day he received a very important title from Guinness World
Records: the world’s shortest man. That’s right—Junrey stands 23.6 inches
tall. That’s less than 2 feet! But Junrey isn’t letting his short stature hold him
back. With all his new-found fame, he has big plans to lead an exciting life.
Junrey was born in a farming and fishing village called Sindangan,
Zamboanga del Norte in the Republic of the Philippines. At first, he seemed
to be developing normally and he was a happy and healthy child. Then,
when Junrey turned one-year-old, he suddenly stopped growing. His mom
became very worried and took him to local doctors several times. They
couldn’t figure out what was wrong with Junrey. The doctors recommended
that his parents buy him some special vitamins, but they were poor and
couldn’t afford them. They were also told to go see a group of specialists,
but they wanted $2,000 just to examine Junrey. Today, medical specialists
think that Junrey stopped growing as a result of an endocrine imbalance
combined with a lack of growth hormone. The endocrine system is a system
of glands, each of which secretes a type of hormone into the bloodstream.
Sometimes, Junrey’s height can cause him a few challenges. He
mostly stays at home with his mother who takes care of him. Junrey can’t
walk for long periods of time, so he doesn’t attend school. Junrey also tires
©2011 WILSON LANGUAGE TRAINING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
www.wilsonacademy.com
WilsonAcademy | Differentiated Text Instruction
ENRICHED TEXT
easily from doing simple tasks. He has to hold onto something when he
stands because his knees are weak. Despite these hardships, Junrey is lively
and always grinning from ear to ear.
“Although Junrey’s short, he takes that in stride,” said Craig Glenday,
a Guinness World Records representative. “He has this cheeky smile.”
Junrey’s entire village decided that they would celebrate his “shortest
man” title on his birthday. Many villagers and Junrey’s family attended the
festivity. They had a feast of roasted pigs, seafood, and cake. They showered
Junrey with balloons and cash gifts as well. Junrey even wore a special shirt
for the occasion: it had the Guinness seal on it. Journalists from all over the
world came to take Junrey’s photo on his special day.
For his title, Junrey received an official Guinness certificate, but he
wasn’t awarded any cash. The people at Guinness are hoping that Junrey’s
new international fame will bring in donations, especially medical supplies,
to help ensure his health.
Junrey had a great time at his birthday party. There are lots of photos
of Junrey smiling, joking, and interacting with his adoring fans. Junrey
might be small in height, but he is big on pluck!
©2011 WILSON LANGUAGE TRAINING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
www.wilsonacademy.com
WilsonAcademy | Differentiated Text Instruction
ENRICHED TEXT
Teacher Resources - Vocabulary
Words for Quick Discussion: These words may need to be discussed with
students as they are encountered, to help with comprehension of the passage. It
is best to do this with a quick discussion while reading the text, in student-friendly
language.
adoring (adj) liking intensely or deeply
endocrine (adj) of or denoting a gland that secretes hormones directly into
the blood stream
festivity (n) a happy celebration, a spirit of joy and festivity
imbalance (n) a lack of balance in emphasis or proportion
pluck (n) courage or resolution in the face of difficulties
secretes (v) to produce and release a substance
stature (n) the height and size of a person
Words for Further Study: These words not only help with comprehension
of the passage, they also appear more frequently in a wide spectrum of reading,
especially in academic text. Therefore, further study of the meaning of these
words may be beneficial. The words on this list can be incorporated into
subsequent lessons.
celebrate (v) to hold festivities to mark a happy event
hormone (n) a chemical, usually occurring naturally in your body, that
stimulates certain organs of your body
©2011 WILSON LANGUAGE TRAINING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
www.wilsonacademy.com
WilsonAcademy | Differentiated Text Instruction
ENRICHED TEXT
Further Reading:
To watch a video of Junrey receiving his Guinness World Record certificate,
visit http://community.guinnessworldrecords.com/_Video-MeasuringJunrey-Balawing-the-world39s-shortest-man-PartOne/blog/4344097/7691.html?b= and
http://community.guinnessworldrecords.com/_Video-Measuring-JunreyBalawing-the-world39s-shortest-man-Part-Two/blog/4434194/7691.html.
Definition Source:
Collin’s CoBuild Learner’s Dictionary, Concise Ed. Vol. 2. HarperCollins
Publishers, Great Britain, 2003.
This text passage is archived under People.
©2011 WILSON LANGUAGE TRAINING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
www.wilsonacademy.com