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my school community to give the literary content more meaning for my students. A good story about another culture can oftentimes be the most engaging to the reader and far more relevant than many of the "classics." Students' self esteem can be boosted by culturally responsive curriculum as well. (Ferrari) Keeping the different cultures within the "familiar and friendly framework" (Gay, p. 33) of the curriculum will more likely hold the students' interest, enhance their self esteem regarding their culture and make them better students.

Cooperative, learner centered instruction is an approach I plan to use in my curriculum and it has even more relevance in the culturally diverse classroom. "Teaching content about the cultures and contributions of many ethnic groups and by using a variety of teaching techniques that are culturally responsive to different ethnic learning styles (will help) to equalize learning advantages and disadvantages among the different ethnic groups in the classroom." (Gay, p. 33-34) Cooperative learning is "a teaching strategy that consists of students working together in small groups so that everyone can participate in a clearly assigned task." (Kauchak, p. 424) This teaching strategy could help students who may not possess academic language skills by helping them to "overcome reluctance to speak out in class and speak more freely about content with their peers." (The Knowledge Loom) Having students work together in small groups can also bring peer tutoring into play so students within an ethnic group who have a higher level of language skills can assist their peers in content and expression. Pragmatically speaking, this teaching style gives more individual attention to all students and will be more likely to actively involve them in the learning process.

The challenges teachers will face in the increasingly diverse society we have in the U.S. today will require the use of many more than three best practices to accommodate students. A culturally diverse curriculum is a necessity no matter who is sitting at the desks. The world our children will enter when they leave school will be smaller, more complex and infinitely more diverse than it is today. Students who are taught to respect and be curious about culture will ultimately develop a better understanding of the cultural differences that exist around them. This will help them to be better citizens and more productive members of society as a whole. Teachers and students need to embrace

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