Appendix C: Story and conversation topics
Story and conversation topics for eliciting language
Topic Idea | |
---|---|
1 | Talk about your favourite board game. |
2 | What kind of things do you like to do for recreation or relaxation? |
3 | Talk about the stars and/or constellations. |
4 | Talk about why you love your language. |
5 | Discuss what you know about the history of your nation. How does this differ from what children read about in their schoolbooks about First Nations History? |
6 | Do you hunt or does a member of your family hunt? Discuss hunting practices and/or experiences. |
7 | Is there life after death? What are your thoughts on the subject? |
8 | Talk about some of the ways life has changed since you were children. |
9 | Talk about places that you would like to visit. |
10 | Pretend one of you is a door-to-door salesperson wanting to sell you a vacuum cleaner; the other is the person who answers the door. |
11 | Find a magazine or book and talk about the pictures in it. (Don't read the words.) |
12 | Was there ever a time when you were in a really dangerous situation, where you thought “This is it – I could die here!” |
13 | Talk about an illness you once had. |
14 | Either plan or pretend to plan a vacation that you will take together. Where will you go? How will you get there? What would you like to do? |
15 | SKIT: pretend you are meeting for the first time. Introduce yourselves to each other, say where you are from, ask each other a few introductory questions (“what do you do?”, etc.) |
16 | Talk about coyotes (or another important animal). |
17 | Talk about a trip you took once. |
18 | Describe what your ideal house would look like. |
19 | Look around the room (or wherever you are) and find objects that neither of you know a name for. Describe them and discuss what you might call them. |
20 | Describe a house that you lived in as a child. |
21 | Talk about your neighbourhood or reserve; you could draw a rough map while you talk if you like, showing where houses and other buildings are and who lives where near you. |
22 | Talk about a childhood memory. |
23 | Talk about traditional songs. You could also sing some of them if you want to. |
24 | Talk about a person you both know. |
25 | Talk about what you did yesterday. |
26 | Describe your houses to each other. |
27 | Talk about winter. |
28 | Turn on the TV but without the sound; talk about the show you are watching. |
29 | Do you have a pet? If so, describe your pet and its behaviour. If not, talk about a pet you once had. |
30 | Talk about wild animals that live in your area. |
31 | Talk about shells (e.g. abalone, dentalium, etc.) – what they look like, where one gets them, what they are used for, anything you know about them. |
32 | Talk about ceremonies. |
33 | Talk about colours: your favourite colours, the colours of objects around you, etc. |
34 | Talk about experiences you remember from your school days. (Or, if you are in school now, talk about recent experiences.) |
35 | Talk about a scary experience you had. |
36 | What kinds of food do you like to eat? |
37 | Describe what happened on your most recent trip to a casino or bingo. (Or, if you don’t go to bingo or casinos, discuss why.) |
38 | Talk about some experience that made you happy. |
39 | Discuss movies you have seen. |
40 | Take turns looking at a piece of furniture in the room and describe it in as much detail as you can. |
41 | Talk about your favourite kind of car. |
42 | Talk about a natural disaster that you either experienced or heard about (e.g. an earthquake, wildfire, etc.) |
43 | Discuss a current political issue. |
44 | Think of a historical person who you think of as a hero. Discuss your ideas on this with each other. |
45 | What leads to having a healthy body? You could discuss nutrition, exercise, “clean living”, spirituality, etc. |
46 | What time do you go to bed and get up? How important is it to get a good night's sleep? Discuss issues around sleep. |
47 | Name the things inside a grocery store. If there are things that don't have names in your language, describe them and discuss what a good name for them might be. |
48 | Discuss your plans for your next session together. |
49 | Talk about the topic of fishing. It could be about your own fishing, or about commercial fishing, or a controversy such as salmon kill-offs, etc. |
50 | Talk about a dream you had. |
51 | Take turns talking in detail about a favourite recipe you like to cook. |
52 | Talk about your favourite kind of music. |
53 | Talk about making regalia (dance dress, etc.). |
54 | Take turns asking each other questions about anything you like (and the other one answers them). |
55 | Talk about native plants. |
56 | Discuss the weather. |
57 | Describe your spouse’s (or sister’s, brother’s, etc.) personality. |
58 | Read any good books lately? What things do you like to read? |
59 | Were you ever in the armed forces, or do you have a friend or relative who was? |
60 | Have you ever played any sports (e.g. in school, or just with friends)? Discuss the sports you have played. |
61 | Do you know any coyote (or raven, etc.) stories? One of you can tell a story and have the other tell it back in his or her own words. |
62 | Talk about finances. |
63 | Talk about a sacred place. |
64 | Talk about summer. |
65 | Talk about your favourite TV show. |
66 | Talk about gardening. |
67 | Take turns talking about a person you admire. |
68 | Talk about snakes. |
69 | What do you like to do for fun and relaxation? |
70 | Talk about the war in Afghanistan. |
71 | Talk about your parents. |
72 | Talk about baskets and basketmaking. |
73 | Talk about birds. |
74 | Talk about hockey. (If you aren’t a fan, just describe what you know about how hockey is played. Or if you REALLY aren’t a fan, talk about how and why you don’t like it.) |
75 | Talk about some of your young relatives – children, grandchildren, or other children in your (extended) family. |
76 | Talk about something that happened once that made you sad. |
77 | Talk about shopping – what do you need to buy? Develop a shopping list together and where you will go to buy these things. |
78 | Talk about a beautiful place you know, describing it in as much detail as possible. |
79 | Pretend you are having an argument with each other about money. |
[1] Conversation Cards by Advocates for Indigenous California Languages Survival (AICLS).