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Why Johnny Can't Read

When Johnny's distraught parents brought him to the Active Reading Clinic, founder Judy Kranzler immediately recognized Johnny's excellent mechanical aptitude and coordination-he was a master assembler of model airplanes and a great basketball player.

Kranzler quickly scattered foam pillows on the floor, placing an 'm' above one pillow, an 'a' above the next, and a 't' above the third. Within minutes , Johnny was jumping between the pillows, sounding out the words 'at' and 'mat'. Two months later, after learning additional reading techniques, Johnny could easily sound out long and difficult words by jumping between pillows representing word sounds. Nine months later, Johnny's parents proudly reported that he was reading books one year above his grade level. "This is typical of improvements made by our Active Reading graduates," says Kranzler of her successful program.

Kranzler believes that Johnny, and others like him, need to be taught to read in a way that uses their natural learning skills. As a result, Kranzler developed the Reading Revolution™, a whole-body, multi-intelligence approach to reading that integrates sensory-motor activity into the reading process.

Walk into the Active Reading Clinic and watch reading mastery in action! Sarah is mastering sound-symbol relationships by using specially designed gestures to physically reinforce the blending of sounds into words. Terry, a second student, is reading the clues of a treasure hunt, anxious to find the stashed goods. And on their stomachs in the corner, Bobby and his teacher are reading aloud to each other.

"When we read or speak, we use our linguistic strengths," explains Kranzler. "When we are in motion - singing a rap song, drawing, or interacting with others - we use other 'intelligences'. Studies have shown that learning strengths vary from person to person. If learning techniques incorporate a variety of intelligences, it is more likely that all will learn.

Students in the Active Reading Clinic learn techniques for improving concentration developing eye-tracking skills, and increasing reading comprehension. In addition to innovative sensory-motor activities, the Reading Revolution™ system is tailored to each student's learning pace and capabilities, ensuring success. "The Active Reading Clinic's revolutionary methods have succeeded where others have failed," emphasizes Kranzler.