Language learning gets a boost with Lingolift, a new tool from the team behind Listenwise. Designed to help students build confidence in their English skills, Lingolift offers interactive video lessons to help newcomers use and learn social and academic language as quickly as possible.
What’s great about Lingolift is how it makes language practice feel natural and engaging, especially for newcomers, emerging English language learners, and students with interrupted education. Lingolift combines visual support with speech practice, giving students a chance to practice all four language domains—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—in a way that feels both structured and flexible.
Kelsey Cardenas is an 8th grade ELAR teacher in Texas, and she tried out Lingolift with her students. Here’s her Teacher Picks review and why she sees it as a valuable resource for supporting her English language learners.
What grade levels and subject areas do you think Lingolift is best suited for?
I think grades 2-12 are an appropriate age range, as stated on the website. Pretty much all ages could comfortably use the platform, as long as they are familiar with a computer. I teach ELAR but Lingolift could be used for all subjects as well. They have a wide variety of topics and interests that are covered at all levels.
How does Lingolift align with curriculum guidelines?
It has the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) listed for each lesson. I like that it listed them individually under each video as opposed to in a general location, so that I could see that lesson in particular.
How did you or would you use Lingolift in your classroom?
I teach 8th grade on-level and inclusion ELAR. I have a lot of ELL students who are also in Special Education. This would be a great tool for them to use on their own time to gain confidence in their English, as well as their reading comprehension in general.
For specific lessons, we just finished our Informational Text unit. For that, I could have students watch the video, practice the vocabulary, and practice the speaking sections—and then turn in a written response related to the topic. This shows their comprehension of the language as well as the information.
We are heading into our Argumentative Unit—for this I could have them debate/discuss their answers after viewing the video. For example: The food preferences video is a great place to start when introducing the unit, since everyone has foods they like and dislike. This can help ELL students feel comfortable when it comes time to share as a group with their peers.
How did your students react to Lingolift?
They liked it! They said it would be helpful. Most of my students that tried Lingolift with me have learned English in the past three years, so they are still new language learners and have more of an understanding of what beginner-level language learners experience.
How would you sum up your overall experience with Lingolift?
It went well! The website is fairly simple and easy to use, with a lot of options to suit students’ needs and interests. I could see myself using Lingolift at least weekly in my classroom.
How easy was it to use and implement in your classroom?
Since my students are older, they caught on pretty quickly. I’m not sure how much work it would take for a 2nd grade student to understand how to navigate it on their own, but I can see how it could be very helpful in a small-group setting at that age with the teacher leading the bulk of it.
What did you like most about Lingolift?
Two things: I liked the speaking portion and the worksheets included in each section. I did try to “mess up” the speaking portion a few times to see if it caught on and it did! You definitely have to have the correct pronunciation and inflection for it to mark it correct.
The worksheets are nice because students like having something concrete, and having a reference sheet to look back on is helpful if they feel stuck.
What makes Lingolift stand out compared to other products?
The progression from watching the video to filling in the vocabulary words to speaking individual sentences was a great concept. I think it keeps it short and simple enough to keep students’ attention while still getting harder and harder for them to accomplish based on their level of experience.
How do you plan to use Lingolift again in the future?
A few of the students who tried the speaking portion were very nervous! I can see how it would be beneficial to have them use the speaking segments more often to gain confidence without having to speak face-to-face with a peer or teacher. They try to stay quiet in class if they don’t think they can pronounce a word or don’t want to have a complete conversation.
The fill-in-the-blank vocabulary is great for all levels of students, even native speakers! I don’t think vocabulary is ever bad as long as it is done in a way that challenges them and pushes them forward.
What’s your final take on Lingolift?
I enjoyed using the website. I always appreciate new technology that is helpful and not a burden for teachers to utilize and implement. It is a great way to let technology work for us and help our students move forward individually without feeling like they are doing extra work that is too difficult or not interesting.
Teacher Picks is a sponsored program available from We Are Teachers. All opinions shared in the review are honest and based on the teacher’s direct experience. To learn more about our guidelines and review process, click here.
