Jacob’s Ladder

Jacob’s Ladder Reading Comprehension Program is a curriculum developed by the Center for Gifted Education at William and Mary to raise the level of thinking for elementary and middle grade readers. Using short fiction, nonfiction, and poetry texts, it guides students through “ladders” of increasingly complex questions that move from basic understanding to inference, analysis, and synthesis. The program was originally designed for gifted learners but has since been used widely for all students who need more challenge. Families use Jacob’s Ladder as a structured way to discuss texts more deeply, either alongside their regular language arts or in small literature circles.