This FYS Resource was curated by the Teaching & Learning Team at the CUNY Office of K-16 Initiatives for instructors to use as they adapt First Year Seminar-like courses for high school students. This resource was created in response to the rapid expansion of FYS-like courses throughout NYC Public Schools—which often serve as the first introduction to CUNY for students, usually in the 10th grade.

We’ve authored, edited, and gathered this library of classroom resources with the help of talented practitioners across CUNY. These activities introduce, model, and practice college and career readiness skills on the five topics above in a manner accessible to a 10th grader. They range from 15-minute activities to multi-day sequences for an instructor to integrate into their course. The website is a work in progress and would benefit from your feedback. Please Contact Us @ [email protected]

Share Content

Clicking on the Share Content link above will bring you to a form that will guide you through submitting materials you think would enhance this resource guide. The form is designed to make submitting your content straightforward and ensure your contribution aligns with our platform’s style and goals. On the form you will find:

• Clear definitions of each type of submission you might contribute, whether it’s a video, reading, sequence, standalone activity, or resource.
• Guidelines for writing descriptions specific to each type of submission, such as what to emphasize for standalone activity descriptions versus readings. 
• Instructions on proper documentation and linking to ensure credits are correctly attributed.
• Annotated examples of each type of submission to help you visualize what a complete submission looks like.

Please note: We may make minor adjustments to enhance clarity or structure, like refining steps, directions, or adding reflection questions, but we’ll keep the original intent intact

Acknowledgements

The K-16 Teaching & Learning Team wishes to thank the following people for their contributions to this site:

Content collaborators: Ewa Barnes, Lauren Brickman, Avery Mullen, Emmanuel Garcia, Caron Knauer, Christine Marks, Gina Ortiz, Elizabeth Robb, Sari Schoenfeld, Steven Soldwedel.

Focus group participants: Gisely Colón López, Amanda Ebokosia, Caron Knauer, Christine Marks, Avery Mullen, Gina Ortiz, Sari Schoenfeld, Steven Soldwedel

Website design: Ryan Lau, with support from Jacqueline Scheider

OER Librarian: Emma Handte

OAA Strategic Innovation Fellows: Payal Doctor and Peter Gregory