Miskin's program is a synthetic phonics program, based on 44 "speed" sounds and the letter groups that form those sounds. The speed sounds are the 25 consonant sounds f, l, m, n, r, s, v, z, sh, th, ng, c/k, h, p, t, ch, b, d, g, j, w, y, x (cs),qu (cw) and nk (ng k). The other 19 sounds are vowel sounds a, e, l, o, u, ay, ee, igh, ow, oo (zoo)/ oo (book), ar, or, air, ir, ou, oy, ire, ear, ure. Using lessons for teaching and flashcards for repetitive practice, five year olds master these sounds and how they are spelled.
The Miskin system partners five-year-olds up to practice with one another. Children are paired with a student at a similar level of reading ability. This makes it possible for children to answer every questions asked, practice each activity with a partner and take turns reading to one another. Each student is active throughout the lesson, so there is no idle time during the lessons. Sessions last about 20 minutes for receptive students.
"Fred" is an imaginary character that can only speak in separate sounds or "phonemes." Using "Fred Talk" throughout the day, children separate words into their component sounds and discover the speed sounds that make up the word. They help Fred blend the sounds together to make a word. Use Fred Talk during other activities to reinforce the concepts of RML, such as speed sounds and phonemes.
In Miskin's system, words that are easily sounded out are "green" words. These words are easier to read and are generally mastered more quickly, such as "c-a-t" and "d-a-r-k". "Red" words are those that do not divide easily into phonemes, and are more difficult to read, such as "the" and "though". Students learn red words using flash cards, then practice writing the words until they master the "red" words.