Second language teachers are continually searching for techniques or strategies to help their students develop communicative competence. At the same time, they are challenged by the need for developing an understanding of the target culture in their students. The goals of developing communicative competence and cultural understanding in second language students are not mutually exclusive. A particular stumbling block keeping teachers from realizing these dual language objectives is the linguistic diversity of the students within the same classroom. Teachers quickly learn that material suitable for novice level students is not appropriate for intermediate or advanced level students. Even when second students are grouped into different classes based on their proficiency levels, the dilemma is not resolved, since all beginners are not at the same level, nor are intermediate or advanced level students. At the same time, second language teachers are ever mindful of the need to help students develop cultural understandings linked to real world communication contexts they will encounter in a culturally diverse society. A short, 10-minute video will be used to help participants understand a strategy for assisting second language students in developing cultural understandings and, at the same time, communicative competence. The video is ideally suited for use with second language students at any level of oral or written proficiency, since dialogue between the characters in the video is kept to a minimum. The culture rich context depicted on the tape provides a myriad of opportunities for student interaction through discussions and writing experiences for understanding the dynamics of human encounters in a culturally diverse society. Participants will have an opportunity to experience first hand the process their students will employ. The interactive session is designed for participants to view a video tape, participate in a series of discussions, and engage in writing exercises for the purpose of understanding how they can utilize an audiovisual strategy for developing cultural and communicative competence in second language students. Participants will identify strategies for addressing the varying degrees of oral and written proficiency of second language students. Attendees will be divided into groups to maximize involvement and participation. Each group will design plans and leave with a working strategy for assisting students in connecting cultural understanding to emergent and expanding communicative competence.