Jacob's Ladder Reading Comprehension Program

The Jacob's Ladder Reading Comprehension Program develops reading comprehension and critical thinking skills in high-ability learners. It moves students through a scaffolded inquiry process from basic understanding to critical analyses of texts, using a field-tested method developed by the Center for Gifted Education at William & Mary. A series of books for teachers and companion student workbooks published by Prufrock Press, now a part of Routledge, provide support. 

This supplemental reading program is available for grades K-8. It implements targeted readings from short stories, poetry, essays, and nonfiction, that link reading comprehension and analysis with content disciplines. Tasks are organized into different ladders which focus on a different skill set necessary for success, covering language arts standards such as sequencing, determining cause and effect, classifying, inferencing, and recognizing main ideas.

Also included within each book is an overview of the goals and objectives of the Jacob's Ladder tasks and suggestions for implementation, giving every teacher the tools needed to promote successful reading comprehension.

In addition to the teacher's guides, optional companion student workbooks are also available, featuring more space for student responses that make checking and providing feedback on student work easier than ever.

Each set of student workbooks includes 5 student booklets, divided by grade level and area of emphasis included in the teacher guides. Each complete set includes the teacher's guide and 5 copies of each companion student workbook.

This series of Jacob's Ladder focuses specifically on supporting advanced students’ social emotional needs through the discussion of reading selections in the following genres: short stories and media, poetry, and speeches, essays, and biographies.

Integrating reading comprehension and analysis skills with affective and social-emotional needs, the ladders moves students from lower to higher level skills of self-awareness, metacognition, and goal setting, while asking them to apply themes, character or real-life experiences, and lessons from texts to their own lives.

The optional student workbooks feature ample room for student responses and notes, make reviewing and providing feedback on student work easier than ever, provide students with an easy-to-use reference to use during discussions, and save time, as there is no need to reproduce student handouts.

Each set of student workbooks includes 5 student booklets, divided by grade level and area of emphasis included in the teacher guides. Each complete set includes the teacher's guide and 5 copies of each companion student workbook.

Jacob’s Ladder Reading Comprehension Program: Nonfiction focuses specifically on supporting advanced students’ nonfiction abilities related to essays, articles, comparison documents, infographics, and other nonfiction texts. Each book includes high-interest readings, ladders to increase reading skill development, and easy-to-implement instructions.

The optional student workbooks feature ample room for student responses and notes, make reviewing and providing feedback on student work easier than ever, provide students with an easy-to-use reference to use during discussions, and save time, as there is no need to reproduce student handouts.

Each set of student workbooks includes 5 student booklets, divided by grade level and area of emphasis included in the teacher guides. Each complete set includes the teacher's guide and 5 copies of each companion student workbook.