In Structural Reading children start by being introduced to the initial sounds that start familiar words which leads to the discovery to the correspondence between letters and the sounds they represent. Using a modified linguistic approach, children learn the “sounds” the letters represent instead of the letter's alphabet name. “M” is referred to as “mmm”, the sound, rather than the name of the letter. The program does not frustrate with irregular words. The sound-symbol relationships are mastered before decoding begins.

Children who find it hard to learn auditory discrimination are given extra games on the oral level. For children with poor visual memories, the authors have developed many games providing the practice needed without tedious repetition. Kinesthetic exercises have been used to help children who have difficulties with spatial orientation issues to learn to read. Bright children need additional activities of a creative stimulating kind to let them advance at a rate suitable to their native ability.

Teachers have reported that children enjoyed learning to read with this method, that they were reading at a high level of interest and were unanimous in their certainty that these children had made exceptional progression using this method.