Overview

The Vocabulary Improvement Project (VIP) is a professional development and themed book-reading program for early childhood educators. Through the VIP, Leap helps teachers better understand how children's academic and social success is largely dependent on advancing their language and literacy skills. The VIP includes trainings and materials that teachers can use to more fully develop these abilities in their students.

The VIP gives teachers a series of engaging language-based classroom activities that will build their students' vocabulary, literacy and listening skills, as well as instill an interest in reading. Teacher training is focused on hands-on techniques that make their instruction more effective and structured reading approaches for the classroom and home that demonstrate how to get the most out of every book-reading experience.

Books used in the VIP are selected to complement themes already used in the classroom, giving teachers a great tool to extend related vocabulary and lessons even further.

How It Works

Made up of 30 lessons, all of which may be readily adapted by teachers or parents to support classroom or home-based curricula and activities, the VIP complements Leap Learning Systems’ Building Language Preschool Curriculum, but also may be used alone.

The VIP can be implemented in as little as one eight-week session per classroom in addition to one initial training. The initial training serves to familiarize staff with the pre-literacy and language concepts behind the VIP, specific techniques for implementing the VIP curriculum, and an explanation of how teachers' current skill sets will be supported through modeling and coaching by Leap staff. In the subsequent sessions, Leap staff will train teachers and classroom leaders on how to lead read-aloud and extension activities most effectively.

Through the VIP, Leap Learning Systems provides parent take-homes as well as themed books, readily available and familiar, selected for their community and developmental interest. All VIP materials foster vocabulary and language enrichment.

For more information about the Vocabulary Improvement Project, including how to bring it to your school or agency, contact Leap Learning Systems.