Basic lesson structure in Imagine Sonday Systems 1 and 2 and Secondary 1

 Note

This article applies to:

  • Sonday System 1 (SS1)
  • Sonday System 2 (SS2)
  • Sonday System Secondary 1

Screenshots are from SS1 unless otherwise noted. The user experience is largely the same in all three programs.

Each level in SS1, SS2, and Secondary 1 follows the same 6-step structure, making it easy to teach multiple products once you learn one basic routine. Within each level, students work toward both automaticity and accuracy. A summary of each step is outlined below, with its associated goal and time allotment.

In total, all 6 steps should take 35 minutes to teach. However, it's expected that you will teach each level several times before students master the concepts, and you should not move to the next level until mastery is reached.

When you teach multiple sessions of the same level, you can repeat sounds/words that you know students need to practice by adding slides back into the deck to repeat. Some steps also contain multiple activities or skills, so you can select a different one each time you teach the level. 

Level Step Time Limit Goal Description
1. Read Sounds 2 min Automaticity Students read the sounds of each letter as you flip through the flashcards. 
Tracing is used as a means of error correction and to reinforce the right answers.
2. Spell Sounds 2 min Automaticity

Students listen to you dictate sounds, and write what they hear.  

 Tip

Have students write in pen rather than pencil. Not only will students consider it a fun privilege, but studies show it is easier for students to write using a pen. Furthermore, since students can't erase with pens, it will be easier for you to see what errors were made before error correction. 
3. Read Words 5 min Automaticity Students read word lists. This step builds on what students have worked on in Steps 1 and 2 and uses words with the same sounds they've just practiced.
4. Spell Words 7 min Automaticity

You read the practice word or sentence out loud and the students repeat it. You read it aloud once more and the students repeat it once more. Now that they've heard it four times, the students write it themselves.

Errors in this phase are corrected via Touch Spelling. Sentences are also checked for:
C - Capitalization
A - Appearance/Organization (and correct number of words)
P - Punctuation
S - Spelling
5. New Material  5 min Accuracy

The New Material component of a lesson can contain 
sight words, sounds/blends/morphemes, and/or rules.


You directly teach a sound, its place value, and any additional information, if applicable. For example, "These are the letters a y, which make the sound /a/ as in 'day.' ay is found at the end of a word." 

Students trace and write the sound multiple times. If they make reading errors, have them trace; if they make spelling errors, have them touch spell. 
6. Read Aloud 10 min Automaticity

Students read out loud. There will be several reading options for you to select from. 

If you've selected an option from the Digital Readers, for each passage you use, you should be familiar with the passage and provide a purpose for reading, such as "Read the first sentence to find out the brothers' names", or, "Read the first three sentences to find out who's taller".

Decodable passages are used so that students only encounter sounds that they know how to read and spell.

Mastery Checks are included after every three levels.

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