Why Johnny Can't Read
1955 nonfiction book by Rudolf Flesch / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Why Johnny Can't Read?
Summarize this article for a 10 years old
Why Johnny Can't Read—And What You Can Do About It is a 1955 book-length exposé on American reading education by Rudolf Flesch. It was an immediate bestseller for 37 weeks and became an educational cause célèbre.[1]
| Author | Rudolf Flesch |
|---|---|
| Subject | Literacy, American education |
| Publisher | Harper and Brothers |
Publication date | 1955 |
| Pages | 222 |
In this book, the author concluded that the whole-word (look-say) method was ineffective because it lacked phonics training. In addition, Flesch was critical of the simple stories and limited text and vocabulary in the Dick and Jane style readers that taught students to read through word memorization. [2] Flesch also believed that the look-say method did not properly prepare students to read more complex materials in the upper grade levels.[3][4]