How should reading be taught?

A little gem of an article that appeared in Scientific American called HOW
SHOULD READING BE TAUGHT?

A scientific consensus should be nigh. But then there are those fans of the psychotic guessing game who think that learning how to read is as natural as learning how to speak. A pervasive misconception. See also how whole language hurts the disadvantaged.

Whole language raises the question whether a theory that is largely grounded in crackpottery can be said to be upsetting the scientific consensus. I say it does not.