How Quill supports the
Science of Reading
and the Science of Writing
Writing and reading are interconnected. When taught together, reading and writing reinforce one another, enabling students to achieve deeper comprehension and more effective communication. In this article, we explore how Quill’s activities support both the Science of Reading and the Science of Writing.
What is the Science of Reading?
The Science of Reading (SoR) is a vast and growing body of research that explores theories on how children learn to read.
It provides evidence-based insights into the processes behind reading development and effective instructional practices, offering research-backed approaches to literacy instruction.
Key Principles of the Science of Reading
Instruction Must Be Explicit and Systematic
Effective reading instruction incorporates phonics and complex language skills, teaching children to connect spoken and written language.
Reading and Writing are Interconnected
Reading and writing are interconnected processes that share cognitive and linguistic skills. Teaching them together strengthens both areas.
Reading Comprehension is the Product of Two Skills
The "Simple View of Reading" defines reading comprehension as the result of decoding (phonics) and language comprehension (understanding the meaning of words).
Reading Instruction Focuses on Five Pillars
Identified by the National Reading Panel (2000), these five core skills form the foundation of reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
What is the Science of Writing?
The Science of Writing is an emerging field of research that, like the Science of Reading, draws on various fields of study to understand how people learn to write and how writing can be effectively taught.
The Science of Writing emphasizes explicit, systematic instruction, frequent practice, and integration with reading.
These principles ensure that students develop the foundational and higher-order skills they need to become skilled, confident writers.
Key Principles of the Science of Writing
Writing Should Be Explicitly Taught
Just as with reading, students benefit from systematic and explicit instruction in writing.
Writing and Reading Are Interconnected
Writing reinforces reading skills by deepening understanding of text structures, vocabulary, and language mechanics.
Writing Supports Knowledge Building
Writing helps students analyze ideas, build understanding, and develop critical thinking through summarizing, comparing, and arguing.
Writing Skills Develop in Stages
Students begin with sentence construction and progress to paragraphs and essays, expanding to genres like narrative, persuasive, and analytical writing.
Feedback Is Essential
Students develop writing proficiency through frequent opportunities to write for different purposes and audiences, supported by structured, guided practice with feedback.
How Quill Tools Align with the
Shared Principles of the Science of Reading & Writing
Quill Tools support evidence-based instruction, helping students build a wide variety of literacy skills.
Quill Grammar
Students practice basic grammar skills, from comma placement to parallel structure.
Quill Connect
Students combine multiple ideas into a single sentence using conjunctions like but, because, so.
Quill Proofreader
Students practice editing by proofreading passages.
Quill Lessons
Teachers control interactive slides that contain writing prompts, and the entire class responds to each prompt.
Quill Reading for Evidence
Students read nonfiction texts, then get feedback on their written responses.
| Shared Principles | Quill Tool | How Quill Supports the Principle |
|---|---|---|
Interdependence of Reading and WritingSyntactic awareness acts as a bridge between reading and writing. It helps readers learn to draw meaning from text and helps writers to express themselves in written language. |
Quill Grammar Quill Connect Quill Lessons Quill Reading for Evidence |
A variety of Quill tools raise awareness of syntactic awareness, which is the ability to recognize and understand the structure of sentences, including word order, grammar rules, and how different parts of speech function together. Syntactic awareness helps with reading comprehension, writing, and language development by enabling individuals to process and construct meaningful sentences. |
Systematic InstructionSkills are taught in a logical order, building upon previously learned concepts. |
Quill Grammar Quill Connect Quill Lessons Quill Reading for Evidence |
Students move from foundational skills (e.g., punctuation) to more advanced writing skills, such as crafting detailed, coherent sentences. The activities gradually build students’ skills as they work through them. |
Frequent and Varied Opportunities for Scaffolded PracticeGuided practice, and gradual release to build independence |
Quill Grammar Quill Connect Quill Proofreader Quill Lessons Quill Reading for Evidence |
Frequent, Varied Opportunities: Quill’s interactive platform offers opportunities for daily writing practice, ensuring students consistently engage with language at different levels of complexity. Integrated Skills: Activities like revising sentences or combining ideas mimic the cognitive demands of both reading comprehension and writing construction. |
Instruction Moves from Basic to ComplexDecoding/encoding words, from sentence-level work to text analysis |
Quill Grammar Quill Connect Quill Proofreader Quill Lessons Quill Reading for Evidence |
Scaffolded Activities: Quill’s activities guide students from basic language skills (Quill Grammar and Connect) to more complex text analysis (Reading for Evidence) tasks, gradually building independence in both reading and writing skills. |
Ongoing, Specific FeedbackHelps students build reading comprehension and written expression |
Quill Grammar Quill Connect Quill Proofreader Quill Reading for Evidence |
Immediate Feedback: The platform provides real-time, specific feedback, enabling students to build their grammar, mechanics, and sentence structure skills effectively. |
Integration Across Content AreasUsing reading & writing to process and reflect on topics |
Quill Proofreader Quill Reading for Evidence |
Content Knowledge Building: In Quill Reading for Evidence, students use writing to process and reflect on topics, supporting the “writing to learn” principle that enhances both reading comprehension and knowledge retention. Cross-Subject Applications: Quill Reading for Evidence text analysis activities can be tied to content in subjects like science and social studies, reinforcing literacy skills across the curriculum. |
How Quill Supports the Principle
Interdependence of Reading and Writing
Syntactic awareness acts as a bridge between reading and writing. It helps readers learn to draw meaning from text and helps writers to express themselves in written language.
Quill Grammar
Quill Connect
Quill Lessons
Quill Reading for Evidence
A variety of Quill tools raise awareness of syntactic awareness, which is the ability to recognize and understand the structure of sentences, including word order, grammar rules, and how different parts of speech function together. Syntactic awareness helps with reading comprehension, writing, and language development by enabling individuals to process and construct meaningful sentences.
Systematic Instruction
Skills are taught in a logical order, building upon previously learned concepts.
Quill Grammar
Quill Connect
Quill Lessons
Quill Reading for Evidence
Students move from foundational skills (e.g., punctuation) to more advanced writing skills, such as crafting detailed, coherent sentences. The activities gradually build students’ skills as they work through them.
Frequent and Varied Opportunities for Scaffolded Practice
Guided practice, and gradual release to build independence
Quill Grammar
Quill Connect
Quill Proofreader
Quill Lessons
Quill Reading for Evidence
Frequent, Varied Opportunities: Quill’s interactive platform offers opportunities for daily writing practice, ensuring students consistently engage with language at different levels of complexity.
Integrated Skills: Activities like revising sentences or combining ideas mimic the cognitive demands of both reading comprehension and writing construction.
Instruction Moves from Basic to Complex
Decoding/encoding words, from sentence-level work to text analysis
Quill Grammar
Quill Connect
Quill Proofreader
Quill Lessons
Quill Reading for Evidence
Scaffolded Activities: Quill’s activities guide students from basic language skills (Quill Grammar and Connect) to more complex text analysis (Reading for Evidence) tasks, gradually building independence in both reading and writing skills.
Ongoing, Specific Feedback
Helps students build reading comprehension and written expression
Quill Grammar
Quill Connect
Quill Proofreader
Quill Reading for Evidence
Immediate Feedback: The platform provides real-time, specific feedback, enabling students to build their grammar, mechanics, and sentence structure skills effectively.
Integration Across Content Areas
Using reading & writing to process and reflect on topics
Quill Proofreader
Quill Reading for Evidence
Content Knowledge Building: In Quill Reading for Evidence, students use writing to process and reflect on topics, supporting the “writing to learn” principle that enhances both reading comprehension and knowledge retention.
Cross-Subject Applications: Quill Reading for Evidence text analysis activities can be tied to content in subjects like science and social studies, reinforcing literacy skills across the curriculum.