This article presents a model for culturally responsive instruction (CRI) that represents a synthesis of research on effective literacy and content instruction for diverse middle grades learners.The article discusses the various elements of the Culturally Responsive Instruction Observation Protocol (CRIOP) model. It then examines these elements by showcasing the instructional practices of a fictional middle grades language arts teacher the authors call "Ms. Henry." Ms. Henry represents a compilation of the many dispositional and instructional features of CRI they have witnessed over the past several years in numerous language arts classrooms. While Ms. Henry teaches language arts, the same culturally responsive principles can be applied to any content area. (Contains 1 figure.)