The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico appears to be an environmental disaster of epic proportions. I’ll be adding more resources to this list over the next few weeks, but I thought I’d get a start on it this morning.

Here are my choices for The Best Sites To Learn About The Gulf Oil Spill (and are accessible to English Language Learners):

Oil Spills In The Gulf Of Mexico is a slideshow from TIME Magazine.

The Oil Spill: Wildlife at Risk is a graphic from The New York Times.

Rig Blast Aftermath is an interactive from The Associated Press.

Interactive: Gulf of Mexico oil spill is from MSNBC.

What Happens When An Oil Spill Occurs is an interactive about oil spills in general.

Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig Disaster is a slideshow from MSNBC.

ABC News has several online video reports on the disaster.

CNN also has several video reports.

CBS News also has a page of multimedia on the topic.

Here’s a video from The Wall Street Journal.

The Wall Street Journal also has a good interactive.

Gulf Oil Spill Spreads is a Wall Street Journal slideshow.

Oil set on fire in leak disaster is a simple story from the CBBC Newsround.

A Disastrous Oil Spill is from TIME for Kids.

Officials Dispatched To Gulf As Oil Spill Worries Grow is a slideshow from NPR.

Oil spill spreads in the Gulf of Mexico is a slideshow from the Orlando Sentinel.

USA Today has an interactive on the spill.

Interactive: Burning spilled oil is from The Los Angeles Times.

Tracking the oil spill is a CNN interactive.

Oil spill approaches Louisiana coast is from the Boston Globe’s Big Picture.

Oil Slick, From the Air is an interactive from The Wall Street Journal.

Oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico is a slideshow from USA Today.

Southern US Gulf states prepare for oil disaster is a slideshow from The Telegraph.

CNN has just created a new page just on the Oil Spill.

Oil On The Coast is an MSNBC video.

Gulf Coast Oil Disaster is a special feature from CBS News.

Seafood Harvest Threatened by Oil Spill is an ABC video.

The Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill is the title of an excellent infographic.

Pictures Of The Oil Spill is a slideshow from TIME Magazine.

Tracking The Oil Spill is an interactive from The New York Times.

Oil Spills is a very good CBS News interactive.

Here’s a picture of the oil slick from a NASA satellite.

CNN has a video of one of the first birds affected by the oil.

The BBC has several maps and graphics about the spill.

What’s going on beneath the sea? is a good graphic from NOLA.

Bad Weather Stalls Clean-up is a video from MSNBC.

What’s at stake for the environment? is another MSNBC video.

Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster is a new MSNBC slideshow.

The L.A. Times has an infographic showing how “booms” are used to try to contain spills.

The world’s worst man-made environmental disasters is a slideshow from Newsweek.

Breaking News English has a lesson for ELL’s on the oil spill.

MSNBC has a video of President Obama’s visit to the area.

Oil Spill Spreads Fears Along US Gulf Coast is a Voice of America Special English report that provides audio support for the text.

After Oil Spill, Facing an Uncertain Future is a slideshow from The New York Times.

Stopping the Gulf Coast oil leak is a CNN interactive.

FAQ: The Science and History of Oil Spills is from Live Science.

SOS! Major Oil Disasters at Sea is a slideshow from Live Science.

CNN has an animation tracking the spill.

The Associated Press has a new interactive about the spill.

MSNBC also has a new interactive.

Here’s an AP video showing dead turtles washing up on the shore because of the spill.

PBS has developed an infographic with useful information.

Oil Spill Impacts Gulf States is a Wall Street Journal slideshow.

Oil Spells Trouble For Oystermen is a Wall Street Journal slideshow.

Oil Lurks Off The Gulf Coast is a series of photos from The Sacramento Bee.

Here are some images and a description of the concrete containment zone they want to put over the leak. If scroll down near the bottom of this MSNBC page, you’ll see another diagram called “Putting A Lid On The Leak.”

The Shrimper Survivor is a New York Times video on a Vietnamese immigrant working in the Gulf.

Spill Effects Underwater is a NY Times graphic.

U.S. Oil Spill explained is an excellent animation from Al Jazeera English. Unfortunately, though, it’s hosted on YouTube, so may not be accessible to schools.

Animation of Oil-Spill Cleanup Methods is a video from The Wall Street Journal.

The Chicago Tribune has a ton of resources on the spill, including many graphics (scroll down to the bottom of the page).

In Deep Water is an infographic from Information is Beautiful.

Oil Spill Map: Hard hit and waiting for another blow is a graphic from The Washington Post.

The Drill on the Spill: Learning About the Gulf Oil Leak in the Lab are lesson plans from the New York Times.

Gulf Oil Spill Could Be Most Damaging in History is a PBS News Hour classroom lesson.

Putting A Lid On The Leak is an interactive from MSNBC.

Deepwater Horizon: species under threat is an interactive from The Guardian.

Oil Spill Map is from The Washington Post.

The New York Times has a graphic showing how the containment dome is supposed to work.

Community Still Recovering from Exxon Valdez Spill is a slideshow from The New York Times.

Cost & Effects of The BP Oil Spill is an infographic from Visual Economics.

Aerial Images of the Oil Spill is a series of images from The Sacramento Bee.

Oil reaches Louisiana barrier island is an animation from CNN on how the containment dome is being used.

Gulf Coast Oil-Spill Disaster is from Scholastic News.

Race to try to stop oil leak is from the CBBC Newsround.

Here are Images from the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill.

Liquid Density and Oil Spills is a lesson plan from National Geographic.

Bird Baths: Cleaning Up Wildlife After Oil Spills is another lesson plan from National Geographic.

Gulf of Mexico oil spill begins to wash ashore in Louisiana is a slideshow from The Telegraph.

Containment Device Arrives at Oil Spill Site is a video from MSNBC.

The Dangers Of Oil Pollution For Marine Animals is an infographic.

Oil Containment Unit Lowered is a slideshow from The Wall Street Journal.

The Guardian has an audio slideshow about the spill.

Gulf Oil Spill – Amazing and Devastating Photos is a slideshow from Planet Green.

The Ongoing Disasters Of The Gulf Oil Spill is a well-done infographic.

How Much Oil Is Leaking Into The Gulf Of Mexico is an interactive infographic from the PBS News Hour.

Containment dome to collect leaking oil in Gulf of Mexico is the title of another infographic.

Top 5: Worst Oil Catastrophes comes from Planet Green.

A timeline of the disastrous BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a slideshow from Newsweek.

Here’s a CNN video on problems with the containment dome.

The Wall Street Journal has a similar video.

The Associated Press has an interactive on the environmental impact of the spill.

Here’s another AP interactive, this time on past oil platform accidents.

Gulf oil spill cleanup and containment efforts underway is a slideshow from The Washington Post.

Oil Rig Leak is an infographic from Reuters.

The Gulf, Before The Spill is a graph from The New York Times.

The Miami Herald has a very good interactive graphic on Methods To Control The Leak.

The Herald also has an interactive on marine life in the Gulf.

Relief Well Reaches 8000 Foot Depth is an infographic from BP.

Here’s an update on the oil spill from MSNBC.

CBS News has a slideshow titled Gulf Oil Spill Threatens Wildlife.

Next step to stop oil: Throw garbage at it is a CNN video.

How big is the Deepwater Horizon oil spill? lets you use Google Earth to compare the size of the oil spill to your city.

Timeline: The Deepwater Horizon disaster is a…timeline.

BP sprays more chemicals into main Gulf oil leak is from USA Today and give the latest update on containment efforts. If you scroll down, you’ll see a nice graphic on the left.

How big is the Deepwater Horizon oil spill? comes from the BBC.

The Los Angeles Times has a good graphic showing the remaining options to stop the oil spill.

Trying To Stop The Leak is a video from MSNBC.

‘Top hat’ oil chamber lowered in Gulf is an article from MSNBC.

Biggest Oil Spills is an infographic.

Oil And Gas: Fossil Fuels is a CBS interactive.

Disaster unfolds slowly in the Gulf of Mexico is a series of photos from The Big Picture.

Top Hat Lowered is a video from MSNBC.

NASA Images: Timeline Of Oil Rig Disaster

How Much Oil? is an interesting visualization from MSNBC.

Here’s a video from The Wall Street Journal showing the oil gushing from the broken pipe underwater.

Captured: The Gulf Oil Spill is a series of photos from The Denver Post.

Oil Spill Could Be Worse Than Expected is a video from CNN.

Crude Awakening is a pretty impressive infographic.

CBS News has a good simulation of the newest effort to siphon oil out of the broken pipe in this video.

Here’s a PDF diagram of the siphon plan.

Huge Oil Plumes Found Under Gulf as BP Struggles comes from ABC News.

New Tactics To Stem Oil Spill is a CNN video with helpful animations.

BP says tube successfully inserted back into Gulf leak is a CNN video with a good simulation.

After Spill, an Economy on Pause is a New York Times slideshow.

More Oil Comes Ashore is a MSNBC video.

Gusher in the Gulf is a series of graphics from The Wall Street Journal that may be one of the best, if not the best, site on this list.

Here’s a collection of YouTube videos on the oil spill.

You can use this lesson plan on the spill that’s designed for intermediate ELL’s. (thanks to Lindsay Clandfield)

Gulf of Mexico BP oil leak: the latest pictures from the oil spill off the coast of Louisiana comes from The Telegraph.

Here’s a video update from MSNBC.

Protecting Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles is a NY Times slideshow.

Heavy oil reaches Louisiana wetlands is a video from CNN.

Oil Reaches Louisiana Coast is a Wall Street Journal slideshow.

Gulf of Mexico oil spill: Deepwater Horizon explosion and spill day by day is a Guardian interactive.

Trouble On The Horizon is a Newsweek slideshow.

Animals in Danger as Huge Oil Spill Spreads is an article from Scholastic News.

Gulf Oil Spill’s Animal Victims is a slideshow from The Washington Post.

Oil Leak In The Gulf Of Mexico is a USA Today slideshow.

Gulf Oil Spill By The Numbers is a useful infographic.

‘Top kill’ planned to stop oil leak is a CNN animation of the next try to cap the leak.

Oil reaches Louisiana shores is a very sad collection of photos by the Boston Globe’s Big Picture.

Gulf oil spill by the numbers is a useful infographic.

Oil Spill: One Month Later is a slideshow from The New York Times.

What Oil Does To A Salt Marsh is a graphic from The Washington Post.

Here’s an animation of the “Top Kill” procedure that will be used to try to plug the leak.

Wildlife Suffer as Oil Spill Spreads is a slideshow from the PBS Newshour.

Here’s a live video feed of the leak on the ocean floor.

The 2010 Gulf Oil Spill From Above is a slideshow from LIFE.

The Top-Kill Method for Shutting Down an Oil Well is a graphic from the New York Times.

BP tries to mislead you with graphs is an interesting piece, though it would have to be modified to be made accessible to ELLs.

Readers’ Photos: The Gulf Oil Spill is from the NY Times.

Where Are We Getting Our Oil? is an interactive graphic from GOOD Magazine.

Oil Spill Remedies: Trial and Error in Deep Water is an interactive graphic from The New York Times examining the various attempts to stop the Gulf Oil Spill.

Critters Of The Gulf Oil Spill is a TIME Magazine slideshow.

Gulf Oil Spill Worst In History is a series of photos from The Sacramento Bee.

CNN has a series of high-definition images.

Gulf oil spill by the numbers is a L.A. Times graphic. (thanks to Mrs. Ilgunas for the tip).

The Skinny On The Oil Spill is another infographic.

An Environmental Disaster Unfolds is a slideshow from The New York Times.

If Top Kill Fails, What’s Next? is a video from MSNBC.

Gulf Oil Spill Reaches Land, Surpasses Exxon Valdez is a series of photos from The Denver Post.

Oil spill cleanup, containment efforts, hearings in wake of gulf disaster continues is a Washington Post slideshow.

The Final Moments is an interactive from The Wall Street Journal documenting what happened when the oil drilling platform sank.

Obama Inspects Gulf Efforts is a Wall Street Journal slideshow.

Testimony Continues on Gulf Oil Spill is another Wall Street Journal slideshow.

MSNBC has a video reporting the Top Kill remedy failed.

The Gulf’s silent environmental crisis is from CNN.

BP Fails Again is a CBS News video.

The New York Times has put all their multmedia features on the oil spill in one place.

Scholastic has done the same, putting all their accessible articles and activities related to the spill on one page.

The Gulf Oil Spill in the Classroom comes from The New York Times Learning Network.

Here’s a good reading activity specifically for English Language Learners.

The Gulf Oil Effect is an AP interactive.

Hurricane Season 2010: Storms Could Cross Massive Oil Spill is another AP interactive.

Methods That Have Been Tried to Stop the Leaking Oil are a series of excellent graphics from The New York Times.

Living With The Legacy of the Exxon Valdez is a video from MSNBC.

If It Was My Home is a tool using Google Maps to visualize the size of the spill compared to your area. You can read more about it at Free Technology For Teachers.

CNN has a video animation of BP’s latest attempt to put a cap on the spill.

Spill Reaches Alabama Shore is a Wall Street Journal slideshow.

‘If Exxon Valdez was a heart attack, Deepwater is a cancer’ is an audio slideshow from The Guardian.

Advance of the Oil Blobs is a TIME slideshow.

BP robots steer cap to spewing well is a CNN video.

Keeping An Eye On Spreading Oil is a Wall Street Journal slideshow.

Wetlands Become Threatened is a Wall Street Journal video.

Protesting BP is a TIME Magazine slideshow.

Caught in the oil is from The Big Picture.

IN DEEPER WATER is a new infographic.

The BBC has a number of good graphics related to the spill.

Oil Spill Resources is a regularly updated list of useful sites from The New York Times.

The L.A. Times has high-resolution images from the Gulf.

BP Apologies Not Stopping Oil Spill is a Breaking News English lesson for ELL’s.

Gulf Oil Continues to Spill, Wildlife Suffers is a series of photos from The Denver Post.

Victims of The BP Oil Spill is a slideshow from TIME.

Effects of oil spill “chilling” is a series of photos from The Sacramento Bee.

What Happens When an Oil Spill Occurs?

Oil Spills: Disasters At Sea comes from CBS.

BP says oil flowing from ruptured well to ship on Gulf surface is from CNN.

Oil Reaches Florida Beaches is a Wall Street Journal slideshow.

Point-au-Chien Indians fear devastation from gulf oil spill is a Washington Post slideshow.

The Physics Of Oil Spills is an interactive from MSNBC.

Twelve (Imperfect) Ways to Clean the Gulf comes from The NY Times.

MSNBC has a video report on the apparent limited success of BP’s latest effort to reduce the leaking oil.

Massive Oil Spill Washes Ashore in the Gulf is a Fox News slideshow.

How To Clean Oiled Birds is a slideshow.

Oil Impacts Animal Life is a Wall Street Journal slideshow.

Who’s to blame for the Gulf oil gusher? is an interesting infographic.

Oil Spill: Tracking The Oil And Cleanup Efforts is an AP interactive.

BP Deepwater Horizon gulf oil spill spreads from Louisiana to the beaches of Alabama and Florida is a slideshow from The Telegraph.

World’s Worst Oil Spills is an infographic from Fast Company.

Here’s another interesting infographic.

Here’s an updated Oil Spill Timeline.

The Sacramento Bee has a series of new images from the oil spill.

TIME Magazine has a slideshow titled “The Oil Spill Spreads.”

Mashable has a post sharing a several online video spoofs on BP and the spill.

Scenes From The Gulf of Mexico is a Big Picture slideshow.

The Dirty Dozen: Who to Blame for the Oil Spill is a TIME Magazine slideshow.

One Bird’s Odyssey Through The Oil is a graphic from The Washington Post.

Obama Visits Gulf Again is a Wall Street Journal slideshow.

The Largest Oil Spills in History, 1901 to Present is an interactive map.

Battered By Oil is a New York Times slideshow on the tragic oil pollution in Nigeria.

The Wall Street Journal has an interactive rating the response to the spill.

The Associated Press has an interactive detailing the economic impact of the spill.

Here’s another AP interactive showing poll results on people’s reaction to the spill.

Eyewitness: BP oil spill is a series of photos from The Guardian.

History of BP is a slideshow from LIFE.

Oil Spill Hits 60th Day is a series of photos from The Sacramento Bee.

Hayward In The Spotlight is a Wall Street Journal slideshow.

Timeline: Oil spill in the Gulf is an impressive interactive from CNN.

Stopping The Oil: Interactive Guide is another impressive interactive from the BBC. (thanks to Jackie Gerstein for the tip)

Where Oil Has Made Landfall on the Gulf Coast is an interactive graphic from The New York Times.

Oil in the Gulf, two months later is a series of photos from The Big Picture.

The McClatchy Newspapers have created a special page on The Oil Spill that’s filled with multimedia features.

Ranger Rick from the National Wildlife Federation answers questions about the spill.

Seeking Answers as Questions Mount is a nice New York Times piece that’s in a question/answer format. It’s probably only accessible to Intermediate ELL’s and above.

The Washington Post has an interesting interactive graphic showing how much money oil and gas companies have contributed to Congresspeople who are investigating the spill.

Vietnamese shrimpers face financial ruin after oil spill is a slideshow from The Washington Post.

Alabama Town Struggles Amid Oil Cleanup Effort is a NY Times slideshow.

The CBBC Newsround has quite a few accessible articles on the oil spill.

The comic strip Sherman’s Lagoon has just begun a series on the spill. Thanks to Kevin Hodgson for the tip.

Gushing Cash is an interactive from The Wall Street Journal. It’s tracking how much money BP is spending on the spill.

Gulf Oil Spill by the Numbers is a slideshow from Newsweek with some useful and accessible information.

“The World’s Most Disastrous Oil Spills” is another accessible infographic.

The Associated Press has a scary interactive on hundreds of oil wells that have been abandoned in the Gulf of Mexico for decades.

This site has sixteen underwater webcams of the Gulf Spill — all on one page.

BP say they are close to capping the Deepwater Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico is a slideshow from The Telegraph.

MSNBC has coverage of BP saying the have indeed put a new cap on the leak.

The New York Times has an interactive timeline of BP’s history of mistakes.

Gulf oil spill FAQ was published by CNN, and lists questions and updated answers on the Gulf Spill.

BP ‘stops oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico’ is a slideshow from The Telegraph.

+50 Ways of Visualizing BP’s Dark Mess is an impressive collection of infographics.

The National Resources Defense Council has an impressive interactive graphic called “Go Below The Surface Of The Gulf Oil Disaster.” It shows, in an accessible way, the impact of oil on creatures at each level of the sea.

Experimental cap stops oil flowing into the gulf is a series of photos from The Sacramento Bee.

The Environmental Impact of Oil Spills is a slideshow from The New York Times.

Lessons From an Old Oil Spill is a slideshow from The Times.

Oil and Water is a New York Times video.

For Cajuns, What Now? is a New York Times slideshow.

Capping The Flow is a Wall Street Journal slideshow.

The Ecological and Health Consequences of The Oil Spill is an infographic.

The Washington Post has a special page on the spill filled with graphics and multimedia features.

Gulf of Mexico oil spill: BP’s great asset sale is an interactive from The Guardian.

What BP Could Have Bought With All the Money They Lost is an infographic.

Oil spill in Dalian, China is a slideshow from The Big Picture about another new oil spill.

Slate has an interactive animation looking at various scenarios for future movement of the spill.

The Washington Post has a slideshow showing protest signs against BP.

Drilling The Relief Well is a TIME Magazine slideshow.

Road Signs of Rage Against Oil Spill is a Newsweek slideshow.

China Fights An Oil Spill is a TIME Magazine slideshow.

“100 Days of the BP Oil Spill: An Interactive Guide” is a very nice multimedia presentation from TIME Magazine.

Cleaning Dalian harbor is a series of photos from the Big Picture about the Chinese oil spill going at the same time.

Celebrating The Last Worst Oil Spill is a slideshow from The Wall Street Journal.

Crabbing In The Gulf After The BP Oil Disaster is a TIME Magazine slideshow.

The local New Orleans newspaper has developed an impressive interactive reviewing the 100 days of the oil spill.

“Now That The Oil Well Is Capped…” is a series of photos from The Boston Globe’s Big Picture blog.

Louisiana shrimpers head back to sea is a slideshow from The Washington Post.

“Oil Well Finally Plugged” is an interactive from The Associated Press.

Gulf Coast: 6 months after oil spill is a slideshow from The Washington Post.

“Zoom: Gulf Oil Crisis” is a free multimedia and interactive timeline from Gale Cengage Learning. It looks pretty complete.

100 Years of Non-Renewable Energy Disasters is an interactive timeline.

Suggestions are welcome.

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