My MIL recently sent me an Instagram video that goes over some techniques to teach a child how to read. The video focused on starting with only the first five most common letters in the English language: R-T-N-I-L.

I thought this was an interesting approach, but I wanted to cross-reference it with my LLM Fusion method.

Here is my prompt and the abbreviated responses below it:

What 5 letters should I start with when teaching child to read

  • ChatGPT: S-A-T-P-I
  • Gemini: S-A-T-M C or P
  • Claude: S-A-T-P-M

I then pasted the full responses from each LLM into a text doc, and added this prompt above it before I pasted the entire text doc into the three LLMs again:

As an expert in childhood education specializing in early literacy, you are tasked with designing a reading program for four-year-olds. Select the five most effective letters to introduce first, drawing on insights from leading research which is pasted below from the top three LLMs available. Synthesize the proposed three different letter sets, then make a decision on the final winning five letters to start with. Provide a succinct rationale for each chosen letter, leveraging evidence-based practices to optimize learning outcomes. For this particular program, we are targeting a four year old girl who is interested in traditional girl things. In case the helps break the tie between letters, use that information as needed. Now here is the research:

All three LLMs agreed on the same five letters: S-A-T-M-P, and they all suggested it in the exact same order. I will make the obvious simplification to rearrange it to S-T-A-M-P. Thus, the STAMP method is born.

I took the justification from all three LLMs, pasted them all into a text doc, and then used Claude to synthesize the explanation into the simplest terms:

  • S: The letter “S” has a consistent sound that’s easy to stretch out, and it’s used in many simple words.
  • T: The letter “T” has a clear sound that blends well with other letters to make easy words.
  • A: “A” is a common vowel that makes a short sound and helps form lots of basic words.
  • M: “M” makes a continuous sound similar to “S” and is found in many words that are meaningful to children.
  • P: The letter “P” has a distinct, punchy sound and is used in words that may interest young girls.

Next, I used the trifecta to try this prompt:

As an expert in childhood education with a specialization in early literacy, your task is now to create an engaging reading program tailored for a four-year-old girl, focusing on the foundational letters S, T, A, M, P. Your objective is to compile a list of 10 words that incorporate these letters, ideally reflecting interests often associated with traditional girl themes. These words should be simple, familiar, and conducive to early reading. For each word, provide a brief, child-friendly definition that resonates with a four-year-old’s understanding and curiosity. This approach is designed to foster a love for reading, enhance vocabulary, and strengthen phonemic awareness by connecting the learning material with the child’s everyday experiences and interests. Your selection should prioritize words that are not only accessible but also engaging, sparking joy and interest in the learning process.

Synthesized the three sets of results and used Claude to give me one unique list of words from the results. Interestingly, both Gemini and ChatGPT gave words that had additional letters not included in S-T-A-M-P so I had to have Claude remove the rogue words.

  1. Mat - A flat thing you can sit on or wipe your feet on.
  2. Tap - To hit something lightly, or the thing you turn to make water come out.
  3. Stamp - A fun way to put designs and pictures on paper by pressing down a shape covered in ink.
  4. Mama - Another word for Mom, a loving person who takes care of you.
  5. Papa - Another word for Dad, a kind man who loves and protects you.
  6. Pasta - Yummy, soft noodles that you can eat with sauce or butter.
  7. Spam - A funny word for emails or messages that you don’t want.
  8. Pats - Gentle touches with your hand, like when you pet a nice dog.
  9. Sap - A sticky liquid inside trees and plants.
  10. Amp - A machine that makes music or voices louder.
  11. Tamp - To press something down firmly, like packing sand in a bucket.
  12. Sam - A name that could be for a boy or a girl, maybe someone in a story.
  13. Pam - A girl’s name.

Sparing all the in-between prompts, here is a simple javascript web app I created with ChatGPT4 that I will be using to try to teach our four-year-old to read her first words. Here is the source.

I plan to try the app out tomorrow with my daughter and report back on whether I have any success.

I sent this blog post to some friends and internet folks, and here are some of the comments/feedback I got:

  • The web app took me about 20 min to make with ChatGPT 4, i also took another 10 min to make it more mobile-friendly.
  • Many parents recommended the Bob Series of books for teaching reading. We are going to try it too!
  • Parents mention that the best thing you can do is keep reading to your child to ensure they keep learning the natural language flow
  • Parents mention that it probably won’t work to force a child to learn too early. I quickly saw in my tests that our 4.5-year-old was not too interested, will keep trying different techniques.