I usually just do a year-end list on this topic and many others, but it gets a little crazy having to review all of my zillion posts at once. So, to make it easier for me — and perhaps, to make it a little more useful to readers — I’m going to start publishing mid-year lists, too. These won’t be ranked, unlike my year-end “The Best…” lists, and just because a site appears on a mid-year list doesn’t guarantee it will be included in an end-of-the-year one. But, at least, I won’t have to review all my year’s posts in December…

This list focuses on sites that ELL students would use directly. It’s a little short right now but, of course, many other sites on my other lists can also be used effectively with ELL’s.

You might also be interested in:

The Best Websites For English Language Learner Students — 2010

The Best Websites For English Language Learner Students — 2009

The Best Internet Sites For English Language Learners — 2008

The Best Internet Sites For English Language Learners — 2007

The Best Web 2.0 Applications for ESL/EFL Learners — 2007

Here are my choices for The Best Websites For English Language Learner Students In 2011 — So Far:

One of my most popular “The Best…” lists shares The Best Websites To Help Beginning Readers. I realized this year that in that post I share a general link to my website, but don’t provide a direct link to the literally thousands of “talking stories” that I have collected there. I have to admit that I’ve been lax over the past year or two about cleaning-out dead links on that website for students, but I’m pretty confident that the “talking stories” section is relatively up-to-date.

For fiction, go to the “Stories” section.

For non-fiction go to the…Non-Fiction section.

About a year ago I posted about a new site for beginning readers created by a North Carolina-based organization called GCF Learn Free. They also are responsible for Everyday Life, an extraordinary interactive site for ELL’s sponsored by a North Carolina-based organization called GCF Learn Free. It’s on several of my “The Best…” lists. I had concerns then about the confusing navigation on the site. However, it appears they have made it considerably clearer. It’s still very unusual — different from just about any other similar application out there. But that “unusualness” might very well make it attractive to beginning English Language Learners. You can find it at this link, and then click on “Reading.”

Faces of Learning is a new website where, among other things, anybody (including students) can share a short response to the question “What was your most powerful personal experience in a learning community – regardless of whether that experience took place inside or outside of school?” After registering, students can both write their response and make an audio recording of it.

English Grammar Lessons has tons of engaging activities. Click on the grammar lesson you want on the left side of the page and, then, when you get there, click on any of the exercises that will be on the right side.

Feedback is welcome.

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You might also want to explore the nearly 500 other “The Best…” lists I’ve compiled.