Natalia Grace

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/natalia-grace

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Natalia Grace born?September 4, 2003
2. Where was Natalia Grace born?Ukraine
3. What is the adopted by?Kristine and Michael Barnett in 2010
4. What is the legal birth year change?Successfully altered to 1989 in 2012; restored to 2003 in 2023
5. Who is Natalia Grace?Natalia Grace is a girl who was born in Ukraine in 2003 and was adopted by an American couple in 2010.
6. Why did her age become a legal issue?Her adoptive parents claimed she was an adult and changed her birth year to 1989, but a DNA test later showed she was about 22 in 2023, meaning she was a child in 2010.

Dwarfism: A medical condition characterized by a growth hormone deficiency or genetic mutation, resulting in significantly below-average adult height.
Adoption: The legal and social process by which a child becomes a member of a family other than their birth family, with full parental rights and responsibilities.
Age Discrepancy: A situation where there is a significant difference between a person's stated or perceived age and their actual or scientifically determined age.
Alleged Abandonment: The claim that a person, typically a parent, has deserted a dependent individual, leaving them without adequate care or supervision.