The Sonday System is informed by the Science of Reading, a large body of scientifically based research about how kids learn to read and how to assess and help students who struggle with reading and writing.

Each lesson contains the following activities:

1. Read Sounds is a review of the sounds that have already been taught, so students can give the correct answers quickly. This sets a positive tone at the start of the lesson and makes the responses automatic, which is important for reading fluency.

2. Spell Sounds requires students to write the sounds they hear. This reinforces multiple spellings of sounds and rules about what spellings appear in what part of a word through multisensory practice (seeing/hearing/feeling).

3. Read Words includes reading words, phrases, and sentences.

4. Spell Words gives students a chance to use everything they know while writing words and sentences that focus on the sounds and rules most recently taught. The information provided by this step can be used by teachers to inform future lessons and demonstrate effective learning.

5. Teach New Material requires that students see the letters, hear the sound, repeat the sound aloud, trace or write the letters, and then read and spell words that use the new sound and/or rule.

6. Read Aloud offers a variety of reading activities to choose from for students to practice their visual, auditory, and tactile skills— meaning seeing, hearing, and tracing as they read longer texts.

A Mastery Check given after every third level tells teachers which sounds or concepts are solid and which ones need further reinforcement, and which students need additional time to master the material.