Teaching Feature Writing

This lesson enables students to practice interviewing techniques, develop voice, learn to write for an audience, and perhaps most importantly, celebrate their individual strengths. Qualities of a Feature Story: This handout lists the main characteristics of a feature story.

Feature writing teaching ideas

Students can use this online tool to publish their writing as a newspaper, flyer, brochure, or booklet. This lesson plan taps two pedagogical beliefs-students work best in collaborative and supportive environments, and moving beyond the typical essay formats can help students grow as writers. In this classroom-turned-writing-community, the writers support and encourage each other, and, through their efforts, not only as fellow writers but also as readers and as editors, they work to strengthen both the quality of each other's work and the confidence of the writer.

This notion of collaborative growth in the writing classroom fits naturally with writing feature stories, which move beyond the typical personal essay format and give students the chance to share significant personal information with one another.

Create a List

Rubenstein explains, "Certainly there is nothing wrong with teaching students to write personal essays. To avoid this situation, Rubenstein invites students to "experiment with different genres to find their strong suit" Feature stories provide just the right solution: Encouraging Student Writers to Publish.

Teacher Resources by Grade. Your students can save their work with Student Interactives.

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• Im Bringing a Red, Red Rose;
• SchoolJournalism.org!
• Ramón Villeró (Spanish Edition)?
• Teacher Feature | Education World?

What, if any, are the similarities? How do opening paragraphs of features compare to those of news stories on a similar subject? Look at the closing paragraphs of a variety of features; which are particularly successful or satisfying, and why? How does the ending compare to the ideas and tone in the opening?

Feature writing teaching ideas | GNM education centre | The Guardian

What is the register of the writing? Does the subject matter make a difference?

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Focus on structure — try these stories about playgrounds for grownups and foodbanks reporting stock shortages , which have contrasting subjects, but a similar structure. Both stories employ a circular structure. Read everything you can. Local papers; broadsheets; tabloids; magazines, books; novels; essays. The more you read, the better your writing will become. Talk to lots of people, go to as many events as possible, and meet as many contacts as you can.

You never know who will give you an idea for a story, or who will be useful in future as a source.

Writing a Newspaper Article

Look out for interesting events and news stories that might have an interesting backstory. Features often deal with the back stories that news pieces only skirt over. For example, see this feature about students from the closest school to Grenfell Tower getting their A-level results , or this one about more students receiving unconditional offers from universities. For more advice on writing features, see this how to write guide. For more advice on writing columns, see this how to write guide. For writing about language issues, see the Mind your language blog. For additional resources and ideas see our resources for teachers page.

What is a feature? Guardian features are all available online: Guardian G2 All features published by the Guardian All opinion published by the Guardian All columnists published by the Guardian Familiarity with features Read and analyse features from various newspapers, magazines and news websites.