Feature Articles This lesson will teach you the conventions of feature articles and how approach writing your own.

Feature article conventions Structural: Paragraphs Catchy heading In-depth story or issue Quotes from the article presented in bold writing to engage the reader Pictures Language: - Can be told from third or first person but most commonly third person Depending on the audience language is colloquial or formal Subjective point of view Quotes from experts and people involved with the issue, facts and statistics, emotive language, rhetorical questions, speaking directly to the reader.

Planning a feature article A simple method for planning a feature article is PACS Purpose (what is the topic and point of the article? Whaling? Gun laws? Teenage crime rates?) Audience (who is the article targeted towards? Teenagers? Professional adults?) Content (Fours ideas minimum) Style ( which writing style would best suit the audience? Formal? Colloquial?)

Have a practise! You do not have to write these feature articles, just plan them! EXAMPLE: Write a feature article about increasing teenage drug use Purpose: to inform people about the increasing levels of drug use Audience: teenagers and parents Content--------------------------------------------------- Style: colloquial Point of view of the parent from the case study Feature article Paragraph addressing the increase based on research Introduction with case study Recommendations for solving the problem

Plan a few yourself using the examples below Plan a few yourself using the examples below. Show your planning using the PACS method. Underage drinking in Australia The banning of guns in America The reliance on smartphones in society

Read the article below http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2281959/Apprentice-star-Katie-Hopkins- admits-I-wont-let-children-play-friends-I-deem-beneath-them.html Remember- feature articles are subjective (opinion based) and sway towards a side. While this feature article is controversial, it demonstrates subjectivity. Answer the following questions: What is your opinion on this issue? What language techniques can you find in the article? Find three subjective statements from the article and list them Who are the quotes from in the article?

Examples http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/oct/05/teens-social- networking-good-for-them http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/teenage-drink-and- drug-abuse-rife/story-e6frg6nf-1111115636973 Brainstorm: How has the author of the first article engaged the reader and provided reliable information? What features make the second article a reliable feature article?

Task: Choose your own issue and write a feature article about it. Success Criteria: Follows the structure conventions of a feature article Correct sentence structure, punctuation, spelling and grammar Issue is very clear throughout the whole article A range of language features ( facts, statistics, quotes, emotive language etc.) are used throughout the article to engage the reader Language is suitable to the intended audience Paragraphed clearly