As our schools and classroom continue to become increasingly diverse, the task of teaching ALL
students within inclusive settings continues to challenge educators. Developing a classroom that
respects the diversity of ALL students and facilitates their success is critical, especially at the
middle and high school levels. This article describes one successful approach implemented in an
inclusive Social Studies class. A Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) approach was used to
infuse tolerance and diversity education along with Social Personal curriculum into an inclusive
Social Studies class in grades 7 and 8. A detailed description of steps for implementing the CTL
approach is provided along with a sample lesson and additional resources.