Linguistic simplification text*

When to use it

Use when the language demand of a text (sentence complexity, idioms, low-frequency vocabulary, dense syntax) would block an EB student from reaching a content objective they are cognitively ready for. It is most appropriate for students at lower English proficiency in reading and for content-area texts (science, social studies, math word problems) where the target is content knowledge rather than the reading of complex English. Do not use it when complex English text is itself the learning target (for example, an ELAR lesson on analyzing complex syntax), and do not reduce conceptual rigor or remove the key academic vocabulary students must own. Whenever possible, pair the modified text with the original rather than replacing it, so students still encounter authentic academic language.

How to implement it

1. 1Identify the content objective and the key academic vocabulary that must be preserved; separate these from the incidental language load that can be reduced.
2. 2Choose modification on the elaboration end of the continuum when possible: keep natural sentences but add appositives, synonyms, restatements, and signal words (because, first, as a result) rather than only deleting and shortening, since elaboration supports comprehension at least as well as simplification while preserving richer, native-like language and vocabulary exposure.
3. 3Reduce only incidental complexity: break long sentences at natural clause boundaries, replace low-frequency function words and idioms with high-frequency equivalents, and make pronoun references explicit.
4. 4Embed context: add a short glossary, margin definitions, labeled visuals, cognate notes (for example, photosynthesis / fotosintesis), and L1 support so students draw on their home language as a resource.
5. 5Keep all grade-level concepts and the target academic vocabulary; gloss academic terms in plain language instead of deleting them, so students still build the words they are accountable for.
6. 6Offer the modified and original texts side by side (or layered, easier-first) so students move toward the authentic text and you can fade the scaffold.
7. 7Plan the fade: track which features each student still needs, gradually reintroduce low-frequency vocabulary and complex syntax, and shift to lighter supports (annotations, glossaries) as proficiency rises.

Examples

• •Science (8th grade, photosynthesis): The original reads, 'Through the process of photosynthesis, chlorophyll-containing organisms convert radiant energy into chemical energy stored in glucose.' An elaborated version keeps the term: 'Photosynthesis is how plants make their own food. In photosynthesis, plants use chlorophyll, the green substance in leaves, to turn light energy from the sun into chemical energy. They store this energy as a sugar called glucose.' A cognate note links fotosintesis and glucosa.
• •Social studies primary source: A dense paragraph about a historical cause is rewritten into short sentences with explicit signal words (because, as a result, first, then) and a margin glossary for terms like 'tariff' and 'boycott,' while the historical event and the analysis question stay grade level.
• •Math word problem: 'A vendor who had been selling produce for several consecutive hours reduced his remaining inventory by 30 percent' becomes 'A man sold fruit for 4 hours. At the end, he lowered the price of his leftover fruit by 30 percent (30%).' The math (find 30% off) is unchanged; only incidental language is reduced.
• •Layered texts: A Pre-production newcomer receives a picture-supported summary of a folktale, a Beginning student gets a chunked plain-language retelling with a glossary, and an Advanced student reads the original folktale with three idioms annotated in the margin, so all students discuss the same theme together.
• •Glossing instead of deleting: Rather than removing 'erosion' from a text, the teacher writes 'erosion (when water or wind slowly wears away rock and soil)' inline, preserving the academic word the student is accountable for.