With the shift toward a practice-based curriculum in teacher education (Grossman 2011; Grossman & McDonald, 2008; McDonald, Kazemi & Kavanagh, 2013), scholars (Hlas & Hlas, 2012; Kearney, 2015) in the foreign language field have started researching high-leverage teaching practices (HLTPs). In 2017, Glisan and Donato proposed six HLTPs which are fundamental in foreign language teaching. This qualitative classroom-based case study aims to explore the tensions between the HLTPs proposed by scholars and those enacted in a middle school introductory level Chinese class. Analysis, drawing from microethnographic methods (Erickson, 2006), focuses on instructional activity types (IATs), the presence and absence of HLTPs in the teacher's instruction and patterns of students' engagement with language (EWL). The IATs identified as typical reveal absence of HLTPs related to developing L2 literacy. Findings confirm high language engagement when HLTPs are employed by the teacher, contribute to the further development of the HLTP framework and suggest implications for its applications in teacher education. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]