Polyphony: Reader and Explorations for First-Year Writing

Reviewed by Anne-Marie Pedersen, Seminar and Writing Instructor, Southern Oregon University on 12/19/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The text offers enough readings, links to multi-modal materials, and activities to engage a first-year writing class; however, this is a reader, with a focus on multilingualism, language, power, and identity, not a guide or handbook. Instructors looking for an all-in-one reader, handbook, and introduction to college writing would need to supplement this text with other resources. The text includes a table of contents, as well as hashtags that function similar to an index or glossary.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content seems accurate. In some places, the authors intentionally question the accuracy of the ideas from readings or other materials to help students with information literacy. For example, in the “Against-the-Grain” module, the authors link a TEDx talk about grammar and identity to an activity with audience responses critical of the talk and discussion questions about these critiques.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The readings, texts, and activities explore both contemporary events (language policy in Hawai’i and Haiti, for example) and historical ones (Haitian revolution), often finding ways to contextualize current topics through activities and discussion questions. Many of the activities include work with poetry that might appeal more to users interested in literature. That said, the topics covered in the material (including the poems) are relevant to most students’ lives, especially to multilingual and under-represented students.

Clarity rating: 5

The tone and writing are both clear and accessible. At the same time, the authors introduce challenging concepts.

Consistency rating: 5

I didn’t notice any issues in consistency.

Modularity rating: 5

Effective modularity: an instructor can easily incorporate a single activity or writing project into their class. Each module includes an introduction, providing background and context about the materials and topic for both the student and instructor.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The table of contents organizes the material into two categories “Readings” (texts) and “Explorations” (activities and other related texts). This structure allows users—both teacher and student—flexibility in how and how much to use the text. The authors also organize by hashtags, including both conventional categories, such as grammar, and more conceptual categories, such as colonialism and personal-is-political.

Interface rating: 5

All the links I accessed functioned, and the interface is easy to use. Reading the introduction on how to use the book helps.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I didn’t notice any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I appreciate the critical perspective on language and identity that permeates all the materials gathered in the text and the focus on multilingualism and inclusivity.

Comments

This multi-modal text is a useful addition to available OERs for first-year writing, offering innovative ways to connect and use different types of materials on challenging but important and relevant topics.