The Mathematics Department at the University of Michigan has made a commitment to making these introductory courses a vital part of our undergraduate students' education. We have changed both the content of the courses and the ways we teach them by drawing ideas simultaneously from calculus reform nationwide and from the cooperative learning movement. Our texts, with their fresh approach to calculus, give us the opportunity to strengthen students' grasp of the underlying concepts. Students are taught to read the textbook and write full essay answers to many of the interesting problems. In our classes students work together actively, and outside the class they meet frequently to solve their team homework problems.