Synthesize and evaluate your thoughts and response. Researching and preparing for a discussion helps to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of a collaborative discussion. To start forming your response, write down your initial thoughts on
your chosen topic.
Here are some questions you can consider when formulating your thesis:
1. How did historical events affect American literature? (Sample question: How did the Civil War affect American Literature?)
2. How did the Civil War transform American literature?
3. Does literature affect history?
4. What events were affected by literature?
5. How does history affect current pieces of writing? Or does it only affect literature from the same period?
What is your thesis? What statements and evidence will you use to support your thesis? Record the names of the discussion participants below. If you organized the discussion, record how you know the story the other person, and summarize how you choose and invited him or her and how you organized the time and place for the discussion. Record the question asked by your responses to these questions.