Middle school teachers, like all educators around the nation, are encountering classrooms comprised of an unprecedented number of students from various cultural, ethnic, and racial backgrounds. Due to the influx of immigrants entering the U.S. educational system, the number of students who speak a native language other than English has grown dramatically and will account for about 40% of the school-age population by 2040. The reality of a multicultural, multilingual student population dictates that educators, 87% of whom are Caucasian, must be prepared to interact and work with students who do not share the same language, culture, or national origin. Some researchers believe that meeting the needs of diverse students is, and will be, even more challenging for middle school teachers than other teachers, because they must also help students deal with the unique developmental changes that occur during this time. As young adolescents confront a host of transitions associated with the emergence of puberty, including dramatic physical, social-emotional, and cognitive changes, they also undergo transformations in relationships with parents, encounter more emotionally intense interactions with peers, and struggle with personal identity issues. Middle school teachers, therefore, must become educated about and skilled in using pedagogy that is sensitive and responsive to the developmental and educational needs of young adolescents from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. This article explores instructional strategies employed by teachers in middle school classrooms in Florida, a state in which 50% of the students in public schools are members of ethnic minority groups. (Contains 1 note.)