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Introductory physics is arguably the most important thing that a physics department does. It is the primary way that students from other science disciplines engage with physics, it is the introduction to physics for majors, and it is the place that preservice physics teachers learn the content that they will ultimately teach. Modeling Instruction is an active learning strategy for introductory physics built on the premise that science proceeds through the iterative process of model construction, development, deployment and revision. We describe the role that participating in ‘authentic’ modeling has in learning and then explore how students engage in this process in the classroom. In this presentation we provide a theoretical background on models and modeling and describe how these theoretical elements are enacted in the introductory university physics classroom. We provide both quantitative and video data to link the development of a conceptual model to the design of the learning environment and to student outcomes.