''Why Johnny Can't Read—And What You Can Do About It'' is a 1955 book-length exposé of American reading education by
Rudolf Flesch. It was an immediate bestseller for 37 weeks and became an educational
cause célèbre
A ( , ; pl. ''causes célèbres'', pronounced like the singular) is an issue or incident arousing widespread controversy, outside campaigning, and heated public debate. The term is sometimes used positively for celebrated legal cases for th ...
. In the book, the author concluded that the "(
look-say)" method (memorization of whole words by sight) was ineffective because it lacked proper phonics training. Additionally, Flesch was critical of the simple stories and limited text and vocabulary of the
Dick and Jane style readers that taught students to read by
memorization
Memorization (British English: memorisation) is the process of committing something to memory. It is a mental process undertaken in order to store in memory for later recall visual, auditory, or tactical information.
The scientific study of mem ...
of words. Flesch also believed that the look-say method did not properly prepare students to read more complex materials in later grade levels.
See also
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Basal reader
Basal readers are textbooks used to teach reading (process), reading and associated skills to schoolchildren. Commonly called "reading books" or "readers" they are usually published as Anthology, anthologies that combine previously published sh ...
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Dumbing Us Down
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Phonics
Phonics is a method for teaching reading and writing to beginners. To use phonics is to teach the relationship between the sounds of the spoken language (phonemes), and the letters (graphemes) or groups of letters or syllables of the written ...
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Primer (textbook)
A primer (in this sense usually pronounced , sometimes , usually the latter in modern British English) is a first textbook for teaching of reading, such as an alphabet book or basal reader. The word also is used more broadly to refer to any book ...
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Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
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Reading education in the United States#History
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Why Johnny Can't Add''
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The Cat in the Hat
''The Cat in the Hat'' is a 1957 children's book written and illustrated by American author Dr. Seuss. The story centers on a tall anthropomorphic cat who wears a red and white-striped top hat and a red bow tie. The Cat shows up at the house ...
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References
Bibliography
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Further reading
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1955 non-fiction books
Harper & Brothers books
Books about education
Works about reading
English-language non-fiction books
Reading (process)
Learning to read
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