Effective Grammar and Writing Instruction - make sure you use it properly!

I have used Quill.org with a variety of grade levels at various schools (across different states), and I have found it to be an excellent supplemental resource. There are many resources available for free, so the price is RIGHT. While budget constraints are likely a reality for many teachers, the best part of Quill is not the price. (Can you believe it?) The opportunity to assign a wide variety of feedback to increase/decrease difficulty, frequency, and duration of practice is awesome. (It's one of the very few opportunities I have to assign something that I didn't have to make from scratch.) Additionally, the emphasis on clarity and precision in writing is wonderful. It's amazing how many students find themselves shocked when Quill requires writing that is accurately punctuated and includes consistent verb tense and correct spelling. (Yeah, kids, that's what WE have been asking for the whole time as well!)

I was blown away by the individual feedback that each student was provided. There is no way I could provide this kind of timely, individualized feedback to so many students. I'm also impressed that the feedback is much more than just grammar or punctuation feedback; instead, the feedback relates directly to the thinking and content of what the students read. I've been teaching for 30 years, and I've never seen anything that provides as much promise and potential for improving my students' thinking, reading, and writing.

This is a good tool to reinforce the concepts I am teaching. It gives the students opportunities to practice independently with immediate feedback, which I like very much. I wish that there were more challenging "Reading for Evidence" assignments that ask the students to write at least a paragraph, but assume that is coming in the future.