The Model Courses are designed to help instructors navigate implementing the English department learning objectives by providing a suggested schedule, lessons, and assignments as well as teaching tips for ENG 1101 and ENG 1121. The model courses are not required, but they are strongly suggested for faculty who are new to City Tech, as they fulfill our learning outcomes and unit guidelines, and more importantly, they were written with our students in mind– they tend to like them, learn a lot and have fun! We think everyone here should try them at least once.

There are model course curricula for ENG 1101/1121 mainstream, ENG 1101/1121 Core Books and ENG1101 co-req. Links for all the model courses curricula are on the Model Course Hub on Open Lab. There, you will find all major assignments, as well as suggested course outlines for the entire semester, including suggested in-class activities and homework for the entire semester. There are also teaching tips and examples of student work. We hold workshops on the model courses throughout the semester.

All courses end with a final portfolio of revised work and a final metacognitive reflection on the student’s journey and learning during the term, including quotes from and analyses of their own work.

The Model Courses for First Year Writing all have cloneable Open Lab sites. This means there are Open Lab sites that are easy to use with these curricula which you can easily copy. Use of the Open Lab sites is not required.

Overview of Mainstream Model Courses: In the mainstream model courses, ENG 1101 asks the students to examine their own linguistic histories and how language has helped shape, and sometimes discriminate against, them. While ENG 1121 builds on those writing, research and genre-awareness skills by moving from the personal to more professional or community writing. For more information, see the Model Course Hub, the First Year Writing website or email firstyearwriting@citytech.cuny.edu.

Overview of Core Books Model Course: Core Books is a curricular initiative for First Year Writing that provides an alternate model course curriculum using a selection of core humanities texts while still incorporating City Tech’s learning objectives.  The materials in the Core Books model courses were developed by many English Department faculty members under the leadership of Ruth Garcia and Suzanne Miller and work in conjunction with the mainstream model course curricula. These course materials may be found in the FYW Model Course Hub on OpenLab and on the Core Books at CUNY site, which also features an evolving collection of resources and assignments created by various faculty members who participated in the Core Books program. The program was funded by the Teagle Foundation. Please email Ruth Garcia at rgarcia@citytech.cuny.edu for more information.

Overview of the Co-Req Model Course: In the Co-Req model course, students work on communicating effectively, building an argument, adapting writing for different needs and situations, interpreting and responding to a text, and incorporating and citing secondary source material. The “Co” in 1101Co stands for co-requisite, and means that alongside English 1101 we dedicate time to building vocabulary and critical reading skills, scaffolding writing assignments, understanding clear sentence structure, and developing habits for collegiate success. These course materials may be found at: Co-Req Model Course Site . Contact co-directors Mark Noonan at mnoonan@citytech.cuny.edu or Dan Ryan at dryan@citytech.cuny.edu for more info!