In this paper we consider what happens at the "teaching-learning interface" in some Indonesian and Italian examples of classroom interactions within an intercultural orientation to languages teaching and learning. Using activities from textbooks as a starting point, we identify the underlying linguistic, cultural, and intercultural concepts with which we want learners to engage. These concepts are explored through the development of questions and processes to use in classroom interactions. We suggest ways of scaffolding these interactions to elicit responses from students on their critical reading of the texts, in considering how language and culture relate to and influence each other, and on the meanings students derive from these interactions based on their existing experiences and developing understandings. (Contains 7 figures.)