Students’ Own Conversation Cards (SOCCs) are simply index cards with notes, drawings, or pictures that you can use to help you communicate more effectively during practice conversations.

To make a SOC card, first look at the textbook and the chapter for the assigned topic. The first page of each unit has some images and vocabulary help you think about the topic. Next, listen to or read the example conversations and look at the example cards. They will show you how others have talked about this topic in the past. After that, look at the instructions found on the Helpful Hints page. These detailed instructions will tell you how to make your very own card. Try to remember to be different from the example cards and example conversations. Make a card that is your very own for each topic.

Here are some examples:

Please remember to write 1) the topic, 2) your name, and 3) your ID number on the top of your card. What you put on the rest of the card is all up to you. You can make your own drawings, paste color pictures or magazine cutouts, or anything that you think will be helpful when you talk with your classmates about the topic. Please also keep in mind not to have too much writing on your card. If you have a lot of long sentences, it’s easy to just read aloud and not have a real conversation. It’s best to use prompts, which are short phrases that help you to remember what you want to say.