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Why Johnny Can't Read: And What You Can Do about It
 
 

Why Johnny Can't Read: And What You Can Do about It (Paperback)

~ Rudolf Flesch (Author) "I have decided to start this book with a letter to you..." (more)
Key Phrases: remedial reading cases, phonic readiness, old mother pig, Beacon Readers, Miss Hletko, Bedford Park (more...)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)

List Price: $13.00
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  Library Binding, March 31, 1993 $17.12 $12.78 $9.65
  Paperback, February 6, 1986 $10.40 $6.15 $2.63
  Unknown Binding, December 31, 1955 -- -- --

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with Many Children Left Behind: How the No Child Left Behind Act Is Damaging Our Children and Our Schools by Deborah Meier

Why Johnny Can't Read: And What You Can Do about It + Many Children Left Behind: How the No Child Left Behind Act Is Damaging Our Children and Our Schools

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The classic book on phonics--the method of teaching recommended by the U.S. Department of Education. Contains complete materials and instructions on teaching children to read at home.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (January 7, 1986)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0060913401
  • ISBN-13: 978-0060913403
  • Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 6.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #105,997 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Rudolf Franz Flesch
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Customer Reviews

33 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (33 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fast, Easy, and Fun! It Works!, April 3, 2003
I found this book back in 1987 right before my first child turned 5. After reading the book, I decided I had better teach my son to read myself before the local public school had a chance to mess him up. I couldn't believe how fast he learned to read! Using this book made it simple, easy, and fun for him. We spent no more than 15 minutes a day going through the exercises in the book (my son was very hyperactive back then with a very short attention span!). After about 3 weeks Andrew was able to read simple children's books, and very soon progessed to higher-level reading. Once he learned HOW to read (thanks to Flesch's method), he was able to quickly progress on his own. Sometimes he wanted me to read to him; other times he wanted to read to me. I helped him whenever he got stuck on a word that was not spelled the way it sounds. Even though there are a lot of English words which are (unfortunately and annoyingly) spelled contrary to phonic rules, such as "eye," once you learn to read by phonics, the "sight words" aren't that hard to learn. Most of them are figured out by the context and are then quickly memorized. But FIRST, you need to learn the phonics!

Anyway, since my first son learned to read so fast and well, thanks to this book, naturally I turned to it again 5 years later when my second son was almost 5. However, it turned out that Collin had no interest in learning to read at that point. I felt no need to rush or pressure him, so I put the book away. A few months later I got the book out again to see if he was interested yet, and he was. Learning to read was fast and fun, just as with my first son.

For both of my boys, the first word they learned to read was CAT. At first, when they sounded out the letters for c-a-t, the sounds were separate, and it didn't sound like any word they knew. So I told them to say the sounds faster and blend them together. After a few attempts of this, "cat" came out of their mouths. I will never forget the looks of joy and amazement on their faces when that happened! They had just figured out HOW to read! That was the turning point, and reading as been easy and enjoyable for them ever since.

A couple of years later my husband said he thought we should start home schooling our boys. At first I didn't think I was up to the challenge until he reminded me that I had already taught the boys to read--and that's supposed to be the hard part. Once a person can read, learning is mostly a matter of self-education (with the parents as guides). He was right!

In summary, I love this book! It has helped my family greatly, and I believe that it would be very helpful for anyone wanting to teach a child to read.

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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars When my son was seven he was two years behind in reading., February 27, 2000
He had failed to learn the kindergarden and first grade words. I read "Why Johnny Can't read" with the fifteen minute primer in the back. I used it with my ADD Hyperactive son. My spelling improved. He was reading at grade level before he went to second grade. When he had just turned 13, was in seventh grade, he was tested and his reading level was freshman in college tenth month. That's 7 years ahead. The only book I used to teach him reading was "Why Johnny Can't Read". It is one of those books that is a must own.
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27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars If you have children, you probably need this book, December 5, 1999
Why can't Johnny read? Because he's being taught in the wrong way, says Flesch, and he's right. I know. I was being taught that way in 1959, and I couldn't learn to read either. What can you do about it? Well if it's your own child, teach them yourself, using phonics. Flesch lays out a comprehensive course, usable by anyone who can already read. My mother taught me with phonics (she had no training or experience in teaching, by the way), and I quickly jumped to number two in my reading class. But if the question is, what can you do about the failure of our schools, the answer is "Nothing." Here is the only place Flesch falls down. This book was published in 1955. After 44 years, the situation has only gotten worse. This is because the people running the public school system want it this way, and the country's parents won't fire them all. Sad but true. Save your own while you can.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Why Johnny can't read indeed!
I could not understand my very bright granddaughter could not read.I was referred to the book 'Why Johnny Can' Read' and I found it quickly on Amazon. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Cherie A. Ceberano

5.0 out of 5 stars Best tool for teaching phonics
I used this years ago with our children, with quick-reading results. Now I use it with English as a second language students. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Lanny W. Maddux

5.0 out of 5 stars My mom taught me to read with this
My mother bought this book when I asked to learn how to read when I was four years old. The school where I attended kindergarten only taught me one letter a week and my mother was... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Deb

4.0 out of 5 stars Flesch's Legacy
I had heard about Rudolf Flesch's enormous contribution to the "Back-to-basics" movement in education, but until I read this classic bestseller, I had no idea why he was so... Read more
Published 4 months ago by J. jones

5.0 out of 5 stars Why Johnny Can't Read and What You Can Do About
I was very excited to receive this book. I attempted to find "Teaching Johnny to Read" which is out of print and did find one copy for $[... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Jean I. Thomas

5.0 out of 5 stars Part of a larger problem
In 1946 my father came home from the war and, upon observing what was going on in my "progressive" classroom in Ohio, moved us across the river to West Virginia and a one-room,... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Loren R. Harmon

3.0 out of 5 stars Phonics may or may not work for you...a Master of Ed's Perspective
"Why Johnny Can't Read" is a classic text on advocating the use of phonics at school, and at home.

Look, there's basically two "camps" of teaching phonics: the... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Heather Kenyon-Haff

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic that is, unfortunately, timeless
I don't believe in giving out 5 star reviews to pump up a book's ratings or engage in some sort of ideological battle. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Clark L. Coleman

4.0 out of 5 stars Important Work, but Needed a More Nuanced Perspective
This is an important book, but it is also one sided. I am glad that it exposes many problems with a purely whole language approach to reading instruction. Read more
Published on June 10, 2007 by Booked-UP

5.0 out of 5 stars A key book in American intellectual history
Most reviewers have properly pointed out what a fine book this is. I'll go a step further and argue that Rudolph Flesch wrote one of the most important non-fiction books of the... Read more
Published on June 9, 2007 by Bruce Deitrick Price

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