Rating: 
Summary: Home Educator Finds It A Great Resource
Review: I am a home educator. I have looked for years for a spelling program which would teach phonics in an overall logical way. I discovered this book, read it three times (it is in the library), and bought the program [money]. It is well worth it!Even though I have a couple of problems with it such as the lesson numbering system and completeness, I am thrilled with the result. My 7th grader finished it around Christmas. She spent 1 1/2 years on it. She can spell VERY well now--not before. My son began in 3rd grade and now is finishing 4th. His spelling has done a complete turn around. Just to let you know, both of my children read well beyond their years, even before this program. I used "Teach Me To Read in 100 Easy Lessons" and then "Alphaphonics." They still couldn't spell. We went through many, many programs which I gave up on because they didn't work. This one teaches rules which apply to ALL words not just memorizing a few disjointed lists. Her theories are right on target. I wish that I had been taught this way. I was a terrible speller most of my life. Now I am not too bad at all. My children won't ever be horrible spellers, thanks to her methods. I believe that everyone should use this method. Once it is taught, I can assure you that the other programs will be unnecessary. I got out my McGuffey's Speller. My daughter had very little problems with any of the words. I would like to say thanks to Diane. And, I have already sold 2 others on this program. I wish she would speak at some Home Educator conferences, though. I am only one. Thanks again!
Rating: 
Summary: I was captured by the information presented.
Review: I appreciated the indepth study of our English language presented in this book. I was captured by the information on language development and the connections to the reading/writing process. I feel that this book presented information that helped me discover a missing link to teaching children to read. The research on the development of phonemes in children's language and the effect on reading progress was enlightening. Diane McGuinnes presented the material in a way that all educators should be able to understand. I am "hooked on phonemes".
Rating:
Summary: Why Our Children Can't Read and What We Can Do About It
Review: I have been teaching special education for six years now and I wish I would have been required to read this book while I was in school. Every tacher should read this book, especially the lower grade educators. If we followed McGuiness's suggestions, the number of classified special education students would be reduced significantly and it would save tax payers money. Fascinating reading!
Rating: 
Summary: disappointing
Review: I have been using the Phono-Graphix method with my two boys and I will be teaching it in my second grade classroom next year. I bought "Why Our Children Can't Read' because I thought it would tell me even more about Phono-Graphix. But much of the information is the opposite of what I learned using Reading Reflex. I also feel that Mrs. McGuinness's argument against phonics and whole language is disappointing. I was hoping for something to present to my school as an argument. I won't use this book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellant
Review: I read "Why Our Children Can't Read" and found it to be well written and extremely informative. I wish all teachers, especially those teaching the primary grades were required to read it. I found the part about the history of written language facinating. Ms. McGuinness' book clearly tells why the whole language and phonics methods of teaching reading simply do not work, and recommends systems which have been proven to work.
Rating:
Summary: Excellant
Review: I read "Why Our Children Can't Read" and found it to be well written and extremely informative. I wish all teachers, especially those teaching the primary grades were required to read it. I found the part about the history of written language facinating. Ms. McGuinness' book clearly tells why the whole language and phonics methods of teaching reading simply do not work, and recommends systems which have been proven to work.
Rating: 
Summary: I like it
Review: I think what we have going on here is a battle of the Perfect phonics program. This book offers at least a wonderful introduction of the learning stratagies that most public school children are taught. We have teachers who are under qualified, P.E teachers teaching English ect. ect, but overall this book opens the door to a new approach to what happend to the childrens reading style. The main arguements of the book are the way blends are connected, how words are incorrectly phonetically sounded out, the problems teachers make in teaching phonics in relation to rules, exceptions and sounds, and most importantly, how parents don't catch reading behavior or lack of it. Sight and see, is tackled. With concept that was taken from, "Why Johnny Can't Read: and what you can do about it" (humm, I wonder where he got this title)... this book offers post arguments on the issue of let's look at a picture book and you can guess at what the words say. It is an interesting read, but it still leaves you a bit thirsty..for an overall approach I liked it because of the less technical, and boring senerios of lab work, I wish more real life senerios took place. Don't buy "Hooked on Phonics" yet, there is hope :-)...just homeschool your children, and learn to read proper phonics preperation books..
Rating:
Summary: No Dyslexia??
Review: I'm giving this book 4 stars even though it definitely does overstate it's case. I was wowed by her great description of how written languages were developed; the trouble with whole language, whole word, traditional phonics; her description of what needs to be done, but somewhat less wowed by her "scientific" arguments against *any* dyslexia (oh yes I will buy that probably 90% of it is teaching disability) AND ADD. (No ADD does not even usually cause reading problems. It
*can*. She writes off the brain research she does mention (and doesn't mention all of it). There is a total absense of the particular set of strengths found in "real dyslexics" (strong spatial skills, etc.). The children that she mentioned were hardly what I would consider dyslexic kids either. The other fallacy, imo, was that Lindamood Bell's ADD (now called LiPs) and Phonographix, which she calls 100% effective. I would doubt the LMB would be that careless in their statistics and though the PG folks make great claims, I have read of kids who did not succeed as it went too fast to go on and do well with LiPs or even Orton Gillingham which she roundly knocks-- mostly because they believe in dyslexia. I have never seen anything in LMB suggesting they don't believe dyslexia exists. Also she does not seem to believe there are or can be comprehension problems/ disabilities, once the phonics are sorted out.
YIKES. Still a fascinating read, and great info if you can bypass the sort of religious zeal, and just read for some otherwise great info. --JJ
Rating: 
Summary: Dyslexia is NOT neurological to this author - RESEARCH???
Review: I'm not dissing what the woman is saying about teaching reading but when a person truly has dyslexia, it is a neurological disorder. No one can teach it to you and that's what this woman is stating. Where's the research? Does the National Association of Dyslexia back her on this? I've emailed them about her quote and they say they have no research to validate her claim. Don't believe everything you read, no matter how badly you want to believe. People who are dyslexic have to bust their buns to figure out how to read.
Rating:
Summary: I really needed this book.
Review: On the very first page of her book, Diane McGuinness profiled a boy whose reading and writing issues were so much like my daughter's that I knew for once I was reading a book that was going to take my concerns seriously. For the last year, I have been searching high and low for a reading program that makes sense. I thought phonics instruction was preferable to making her memorize words, but when I tried to teach it, I ran into the very issues McGuinness describes in the book - incomplete and confusing rules that just get broken anyway. The method McGuiness recommends (teaching sounds first) is elegant and simple, and would seem to solve the problem my daughter seems to have more than any other - inability to hear the sounds inside the words. I just wish this book had been published a year ago when I started on this agonizing journey. I must disagree with Rita Kramer though, because I don't believe this book is too technical for parents who want the best for their children. How else can we evaluate whether her program makes sense unless she gives us an in-depth analysis? This is fascinating reading for anyone interested in the hows and whys of reading.
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