Excellent, Efficient Supplemental
Community Review for Quill
My Take
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!)
How I Use It
I use it to track a variety of grade-level grammar/conventions/writing skills; I use the diagnostics to identify areas of strengths/weaknesses. I often start off with the whole class working on some kills that are more "one size fits all" (listed as low for the whole class), and then I make things more and more individual as students get comfortable with this resource.