Well, I'll just lay it out. I hate Hooked on Phonics.
I think that the reason it continues to be sold is that parents are ever eager for their son or daughter to begin reading at an earlier and earlier age.
How have I come to have such a strong opinion? I teach first grade. My students come to me knowing all their individual letter sounds and most can read many sight words.They are also developing the ability to sound words out using the information they already know. I can always pick out the kids who have used Hooked on Phonics at home. When I ask the parents, they seem to be pleased, as if I knew because their child was a shining star reader. It is actually quite the opposite.
I have two primary problems with Hooked on Phonics. My first gripe is that it does not use any kind of contextual clues or reading comprehension with it. This is an easy way to pick out a kid "hooked." They can read many things, but ask them a comprehension question about what they just read and they get lost. The program focuses so much on the mechanics of reading it loses the REASON we read -- as a form of communication to get information.
My second problem with Hooked on Phonics is that it is incredibly boring. It teaches the kids from day one that reading is not fun. It presents reading as boring and drudgery. That's exactly the opposite of the environment I am trying to create in my classroom. My job is much more difficult when I get "hooked" students who come into first grade hating to read.
I can not discourage parents strongly enough to avoid this program. If you want to develop reading in your kids, there are much more effective ways. Read real literature to them. Take them to the library regularly. Let them see you reading for pleasure. Point out words in the child's environment. Above all, don't push your child to read before he or she is ready. In my experience, this only turns kids off to reading and causes them to think of themselves as a poor reader.
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