How to tell the difference between a good, easy-to-use, successful reading system and one that will give you only limited skills?

Does it have simple, short, easy-to-follow instructions?
	Instructions should be simple and short enough for people to follow -- especially if they are not trained teachers.
	Many systems have instructions that are far too lengthy and too complicated. Teaching reading is not rocket science. Many systems make it seem difficult giving very complicated instructions.

Is it organized in a systematic way so that the student can learn the many sounds of the English language in an orderly sequence -- practice what he has learned -- and progress logically to the next group of sounds?
	Sounds and syllables should be presented in a logical sequence in order to promote easier, faster learning: first the short vowels with some consonants; later the long vowels; still later the double vowels; and the most difficult sounds last.
	Some systems introduce the student to sounds and syllables in a disorganized clutter. That is confusing to the student and makes it difficult for the student to remember and practice what he learned.

Can it be easily used by adults or teenagers trying to teach themselves reading skills?
	A reading system should be so easy to use that an adult or teenager can use it alone to improve reading skills. This is another reason why it is important for the book's arrangement to be simple and orderly.
	When a reading system is complicated, with too many instructions, it is almost impossible for a student to teach himself.

Does it teach the short vowels first?
	Learning the short vowels first is the best way to learn how to read. The short vowels are used in most English words. The short vowels enable you to connect syllables and then read long words.
	Some systems start out with having the student memorize dozens of non-phonics "sight" words that have no relation to each other. This is an impediment to reading skills.

Is the purpose of the pictures to teach the sounds?
	Pictures should teach sounds -- such as teaching the student to pronounce a like apple, u like umbrella, and ou like mouse.
	Some systems, instead, use pictures to teach the story, so the student is encouraged to guess at the words that describe the picture. Guessing from pictures is not reading; it is a fraud. Some systems use the same words over and over again so the student simply memorizes words instead of actually reading them. The bad habit of guessing makes the student think he is reading when he really has only learned to "read" the pictures and memorize. If the student doesn't learn to read the sounds, he will never be able to read words with several syllables. When the student is taught to rely on pictures, he can fall into the practice of substituting words that seem to fit, such as pony for horse. This also is a fraud; it is not reading. The famous "Dick and Jane" books teach children to "read" the pictures instead of the print, so the student learns only the few words that are associated with the pictures, and then repeats them again and again. For example, a page in the first-grade "Dick and Jane" book pictures Dick on the up-side of a seesaw and Jane on the down-side. The text says: "Go up, Dick. Come down, Jane. Up and down. Up and down. See Dick go up. See Jane come down." Most 5-year-olds could "read" that by looking at the picture. It's a cheat on everybody to pretend that the child is learning how to read the print. That page does not teach any skill to help the student read other words. Some systems teach students to figure out the sense of the text and then predict what they think the words might be based on the story. This is another fraud; it is not reading. For example, some Al Gore voters in Palm Beach County, Florida in November 2000 also voted for the Libertarian candidate thinking that the word Libertarian was Lieberman. People who had not been taught to sound out the syllables of words mistook Libertarian for Lieberman and thereby spoiled their ballots.

Does it teach the student to practice the short vowels in connection with a variety of consonants?
	Reading is best taught when the short vowels are taught in connection with many consonants. This enables the student to recognize the letters in different combinations so he will be able to read words he has never seen before. Only a few essential non-phonics words should be introduced at the start, such as: the, a, to, with, from, he, her, see, go.
	When the student starts off memorizing more difficult words such as could, ought or laugh, he can't use those words as building blocks to read new words that he has never seen before.

Does it teach the student to sound out every part of each word?
	The student must be taught to sound out each syllable of each word -- not try to memorize whole words by looking at the shape of the word.
	Some systems teach the student to recognize and memorize big words by looking at the pictures instead of the syllables. For example, a popular book called "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" is good to read to 2- or 3-year-olds, but it is not good at all to teach reading because it teaches a child to memorize big words by looking at the pictures (such as caterpillar, strawberries, orange, watermelon). This does nothing to build skills to enable the child to read without pictures. It teaches the bad habit of guessing from pictures instead of sounding out words. The failure to teach children in the first grade to sound out every syllable of every word is the reason why, as schoolchildren are promoted from grade to grade, the percentage who can read at grade level dramatically declines in each successive year. The schoolchild could memorize a few dozen words in the elementary grades, but it is impossible to memorize the thousands of words used in the books in upper grades. Since the student wasn't taught now to sound out the syllables, he falls farther behind every year.

Are the pictures pleasant and cheerful?
	Pictures should be upbeat and lifelike, not distorted or depressing.
	Many systems are a turn-off because they use pictures that are ugly, tasteless, or weird.

Does it use oversized print to protect the eyes of the child?
	Books for small children should use larger-than-usual type like this, so the child does not harm his eyes by focusing on small letters.
	Some systems use adult-size print that is too small for the eyes of children and may promote myopia. Avoid books that have big pictures and small print. Books to teach reading should have big print and small pictures.

Does the book use color to separate the letters or syllables in order to encourage the student to pronounce every sound, rather than skip over some sounds?
	Different colors should be used to help the student see and pronounce every sound, and thereby avoid the bad habit of skipping.
	Systems that fail to use color to help the student identify the sounds are just saving money on the cost of printing instead of using a splendid modern learning tool.

Does it give you all you need to learn to read in one book?
	If phonics is taught systematically and sequentially, it is best to have all the sounds in one book, with stories that use the sounds as the student learns then.
	Some systems drag out learning to read with a whole assortment of books in order to make parents think they are getting more for their money. That's costly and not necessary.

Is it reasonably priced?
	Reading can and should be taught from a reasonably priced book.
	Some systems add a lot of clutter to justify a much higher price. That's unnecessary.