General ELL Websites Online Dictionary/Thesaurus (http://www.merriam-webster.com/) - Try this online resource, if you need to look up a word. It includes pronunciation symbols and an audio feature so you can hear the correct pronunciation of words. Dave s ESL Cafe (http://www.eslcafe.com/) - useful resource for phrasal verbs, quizzes, a hint of the day, etc. Linguistic Differences (http://www.ldldproject.net/languages/spanish/spoken/index.html)- This website explains differences between English and other languages, including information about which sounds exist in English that do not exist in other languages, grammatical structures that are difficult for English learners with different native languages, etc. The link takes you to the Spanish example. Everything ESL (http://www.everythingesl.net/) - great resource for classroom teachers with ESL students Reading is Fundamental (http://www.rif.org) select the Educators box for useful information.
Websites for ELL Students (sites reviewed and approved by ELL staff) Grades K-2: ABC Phonics (http://www.abcfastphonics.com/) - phonics tutorial with sounds and cartoons for all ages. Starfall (www.starfall.com) - reading instruction and reading games for students in Pre-K-1. Reading is Fundamental (http://www.rif.org/kids/readingplanet.htm) - many stories for Pre-K-2 students. Storyplace (www.storyplace.org) - a digital library in English and Spanish. British Council Stories (http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-stories.htm) - listening comprehension games, stories read aloud and other English learning activities such as checking for spelling and pronunciation differences. PBS Kids (http://pbskids.org) - videos and games for K-2 featuring PBS characters. "WordPlay" can be used for students in grades 3-4. Sequencing activity where students hear a story and put pictures in order (select the Arthur character). Storyline Online (http://www.storylineonline.net) - terrific site with stories read by actors from the Screen Actors' Guild. Grades 1-4. Game Goo - Learning that sticks (http://www.earobics.com/gamegoo/gooey.html) - great learning games for younger children. Science Explorations (http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hmsc) - puzzles, games and listening activities about multiple science subjects (by grade level). Grades 3-5: Kidsknowit Network (http://www.kidsknowit.com/interactiveeducational-movies/index.php) free educational movies and music. Mad Libs Junior (http://www.funbrain.com/brain/readingbrain/readingbrain.html) - for advanced beginners in grades 3-5. Reading is Fundemental (http://www.rif.org/kids.htm) many reading and writing activities. Grammar Gorillas (http://www.funbrain.com/grammar/index.html) - for advanced beginners in grades 3-5. Bookhive.com (http://www.plcmc.org/bookhive/zingertales/) - multicultural children's stories told by famous storytellers. Click on "Listen to a story." For Grades 2-5. Postcards from Buster (http://pbskids.org/buster) - see Buster s
adventures from various places in the U.S. Each city has video, audio, map skills and games. Grades 3-5. Flashcard Maker (http://www.scholastic.com/kids/homework/flashcards.htm) - program for children to make flashcards with useful tips on how to use the flashcards. Grades 3-8. Surfing the Net with Kids (http://www.surfnetkids.com) - games and puzzles in an endless amount of subject areas. Write a book report (http://www.scholastic.com/kids/homework/sandwich.asp) - Students make a book report sandwich. Grades 4-8. Literactive (http://www.literactive.com/download/stories.asp?sub=esl) stories for ELL students. The Stacks for Kids (http://www.scholastic.com/kids/stacks/) - games and activities based on popular children s books. The Story Starter (http://www.thestorystarter.com/jr.htm) provides the first sentence for a story, helpful when a student can't think of anything to write about. Poetry (http://pbskids.org/arthur/games/poetry/what.html) good, child-friendly examples of different types of poetry and templates for writing poems. Science vocabulary (http://www.scholastic.com/kids/homework/maggie_science.htm) - label pictures using science vocabulary. Grades 4-8. Songs and Rhymes (http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/musicchild.htm) and (http://www.manythings.org/songs) both sites provide an opportunity for ELL students to learn common English children's songs. FunBrain reading (http://www.funbrain.com/books/callahan/book.html) reading for intermediate students in grades 5-8. U.S. Government Information (http://bensguide.gpo.gov/index.html) child-friendly site for learning all about the U.S. Government vocabulary, symbols, games. All grades. Grades 4-8: BrainPop (http://www.brainpopesl.com) - free sections to teach grammar. Look up "nouns" and watch the videos. Grades 5-8. Club Bing (www.clubbing.com) vocabulary games. ESL Bears (http://eslbears.homestead.com) - hundreds of exercises and games in pronunciation, reading and vocabulary. Grades 3-8. Translation Site (http://translate.reference.com/) - useful for translating words from English into an ELL native language. Grades 3-12. Audio Comprehension (http://www.manythings.org/ac/family.html) -
audio concentration game for grades 4-12. Homophone game (http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/adventure/grammar5.htm#) - match homophones in this concentration game. Grades 4-8. U.S. Presidents Word Searches (http://cybersleuthkids.com/wordsearch/presidents/pres1.htm) - Grades 4-8. ESL and Archie Comics (http://www.archiecomics.com/podcasts/) - good vocabulary and comprehension lesson plans using comic strips. Grades 5-12. Vocabulary (http://www.manythings.org/vocabulary/) - a collection of vocabulary games for ELL students. Grades 6-12. Word builder (http://www.iknowthat.com/noshockwave.htm) great site for phonics practice. Additional Websites for all Grades: Fun Brain (http://www.funbrain.com/) - many interactive games for ELL students. Learning Planet, Kids Page (http://www.learningplanet.com/stu/index.asp) - many educational games with audio to practice listening comprehension organized by grade levels (PK-K, 1-3, 4-6, 7 and up). Learning Vocabulary (http://www.learnenglish.de/vocabpage.htm) basic vocabulary for kids and adults! Traditional Children's Games (http://www.topicsmag.com/edition11/games-section.htm) - read about children's games from around the world with a special photo gallery. Gamequarium (http://www.gamequarium.org/dir/gamequarium/language_arts/) - great games for ELLs espcially the sentence structure games. Internet Picture Dictionary (http://www.pdictionary.com/) - an internet picture dictionary with online games in multiple languages. Easy Vocabulary Quizzes (http://www.manythings.org/vq/) - good for beginners. Activities for ESL Students (http://a4esl.org/) - many activities including bilingual quizzes for ELLs organized by level. Story Place, Preschool Library (http://www.storyplace.org/preschool/preschool.asp?themeid=21) - listen to a short story and follow-up with an online activity and a take home activity. Great for beginning ELLs of any age. Word Reference (http://www.wordreference.com/) - user-friendly, online, bilingual dictionary. Wacky Web Tales (http://www.eduplace.com/tales/) - fill in different words and click to create a story. Grammar Blast (http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hme/k_5/quizzes/index.html)
variety of grammar activities organized by grade level. Sentence Sorting (http://www.msrossbec.com/scrambleintro.shtml) - Great sentence sorting activity. Monkey Business (http://www.earobics.com/gamegoo/games/monkey/monkey.html) child-friendly, sentence building game. Game Aquarium (http://www.gamequarium.com/languagearts.htm) many good educational games. Watch Know (http://www.watchknow.org/) - educational videos organized by subject that students can watch, listen and learn for all ages. Read Write Think (http://www.readwritethink.org/parent-afterschoolresources/) - a good reading and language arts resource with games, activities and project ideas. (many sites taken from Elementary Web Sites for English Language Learners by Judie Haynes. http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/elementary_sites_ells_71638.php) College-Related Websites: TOEFL (www.toefl.org) - TOEFL stands for Test of English as a Foreign Language. Most students who immigrate to the U.S. in high school usually take this test in addition to the SAT for college entrance. SAT (www.collegeboard.com) - SAT stands for Scholastic Aptitude Test and is one of the required tests for entrance into U.S. colleges/universities. It consists of a math/verbal component. Most students take the test during their junior/senior year of high school. The PSAT is a practice test that can be taken during sophomore year. There are also subject tests known as the SAT II test. ACT (http://www.act.org/aap/) - The ACT test is similar to the SAT test and is widely accepted by most colleges in the United States.