by Ananda and Huyen
by Ananda and Huyen
Quill – an interactive writing and grammar platform that helps students develop their writing skills through short, adaptive exercises and instant feedback.
Website: https://www.quill.org
Access: 100% web-based (no installation needed)
Integration: Works seamlessly with Google Classroom, Clever, and Microsoft Teams
Free for teachers and students (core tools and reports included)
Premium analytics available for schools/districts, but not required.
Works on any browser and device - from Chromebooks to tablets.
Comprehensive Content: Ready-to-use lessons, practice activities, and diagnostic tests that cover a wide range of grammar and writing topics.
Interactive Learning: Engaging, slide-based activities that promote hands-on practice and immediate feedback.
Automatic Feedback: Learners receive instant, specific corrections and suggestions, helping them revise in the moment.
Teacher Dashboard: Real-time insights into student errors, progress, and mastery - great for formative assessment and personalized support.
INTERACTIVE LEARNING
INSTANT AND AUTOMATIC FEEDBACK
Students get immediate feedback, reducing waiting time and promoting self-correction.
Supports ELLs and diverse classrooms through adaptive scaffolding and visual feedback.
Fits anywhere: warm-ups, writing workshops, independent centers, or homework.
Feedback is automatic but not always contextual — teacher follow-up is key.
Works best as a complement to instruction, not a replacement for teacher feedback.
The platform is limited to text-based activities, no images, audio, or multimedia
Align: Assign activities that match your current writing or grammar focus
Model: Use Lesson Mode to show, discuss, and edit together
Combine: Pair it with other tools for richer writing experiences.
Sentence Connect A2–B1 (Teens/Adults): Use Quill Connect to combine short, simple sentences into complex ones.
Revision Relay B1–B2 (Teens/Young Adults): After a Connect activity, groups rewrite their sentences in a relay format - fastest accurate team wins.
Grammar Bootcamp A2–B2 (Teens/Adults): Students take the Diagnostic and complete daily Quill grammar drills, earning badges for progress.
Proofread-a-Thon B1–B2 (Teens/Adults): Pairs compete in Proofreader activities to fix as many grammar errors as possible in 10 minutes.
Evidence Hunt B2–C1 (Upper-intermediate/Advanced): In Reading for Evidence, students identify claims and textual support, then rewrite one paragraph with evidence.
Students will use Quill.org’s Activity Pack: Parallel Structure to identify and produce grammatically balanced sentences, improving writing fluency and cohesion.
(This activity is part of a larger lesson on “Improving Sentence Fluency and Variety” in an academic writing course.)
Target Age: 12+ (high school to university-level ESL/EFL learners)
Target Language Level: CEFR B2 (Intermediate to Upper-Intermediate)
Location: Classroom or computer lab (individual devices with internet access)
Recognize and apply parallel structures in sentences and short paragraphs.
Revise writing to ensure syntactic balance and stylistic consistency.
Use digital feedback from Quill to monitor and self-correct grammatical errors.
Production (p. 70):
Can produce connected text on topics that are familiar or of personal interest, showing control over sentence patterns and cohesive devices.
Communicative Language Competence – Linguistic (p. 132):
Demonstrates control of grammar forms and sentence-level structures to achieve coherence and emphasis.
Identify examples of parallel structures in model sentences.
Apply parallel structures when revising their own sentences.
Evaluate and correct grammatical imbalance in sentences with digital feedback from Quill.
Preparation time: 10–15 minutes
Before class (teacher):
Log into www.quill.org and preview the “Parallel Structure” Activity Pack.
Create or import your class; assign the “Parallel Structure” activity.
Prepare 1–2 example sentences to model before students begin.
Before class (students):
Sign up at Quill.org and join teacher’s class code.
App: Quill.org – Activity Pack: Parallel Structure
Equipment: Laptops or tablets with internet access
Handouts: One-page guide with examples of parallel structure
Pre-Task (10 minutes)
Focus: Activate prior knowledge and introduce form.
Teacher elicits examples of lists or comparisons from student writing (e.g., I like reading, to swim, and dancing → corrected to I like reading, swimming, and dancing).
Short guided practice on board; students underline parallel elements in sample sentences.
Main Task (20 minutes)
Students log into Quill and complete the “Parallel Structure” Activity Pack individually.
Quill provides instant feedback on each attempt, allowing self-correction.
Teacher monitors and notes common issues for post-task review.
Students discuss one example of a corrected sentence with a peer.
Post-Task (15 minutes)
Whole-class reflection: teacher projects 2–3 anonymized Quill sentences with common errors and discusses revisions.
Students revise one paragraph from their own writing to apply parallel structure.
Go to www.quill.org → click “Sign Up as a Teacher.”
Create or import your class (from Google Classroom or manually).
Explore the Activity Library and click “Assign Activities.”
Run the Diagnostic to identify each student’s grammar and sentence-writing needs.
View results in your Dashboard and plan mini-lessons from common errors.
Use Quill as a 10-minute warm-up or independent station.
Encourage students to read feedback and retry until correct.
Check Reports for student progress and frequent mistakes.
Use data to support formative assessment and progress tracking.