Corresponding to the activities in Jacob's Ladder: Nonfiction, Grade 5, students read high-interest passages, then complete skill ladders connected to the fiction and nonfiction comparisons to move them from concrete thinking skills to higher order, critical thinking skills.

The 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.