Writing Feature Articles - Step 1 - Lesson 1 | Page 12

Writing Feature Articles - Lesson .
Narrative
I am going to think about the roles I have in my life and see if any of them can help me identify a good
topic to write my feature article about. I want to make sure my topic is something I know a little bit about
already.
?? I am a member of a large family, one of ?ve children. When I was a kid growing up, we couldn’t
have everything because there were so many of us. People might want to know whether being in
a large family is fun. My topic can be “large families.”
?? Another role is that I’m a teacher.
Let me think about some of my other roles and expertise. I am going to use Brainstorm Roles and
Expertise (Handout 1.2a) to record my information.
?? I am a recycler, the one who does the recycling at home. I always get confused by all the
numbers on the bottom of the containers. People might want to know why containers have those
numbers. A possible topic could be reasons why people do and don’t recycle.
?? I am a movie lover. I go to the movies a lot and watch a lot of old movies at home. My friends
use me as their movie critic when deciding what to see.
?? I am the family dog walker. I walk my dog many times a day. I get really frustrated that I can’t
take her into certain stores when I need to run errands. One question could be: Who makes the
rules about where dogs can and can’t go? A possible topic could be stores getting into trouble for
allowing dogs in.
I am going to put a star next to three or four ideas that I think could lead to a good topic for a feature
article. Then I will write about a speci?c experience I have had with each of these topics, like one time
when I had to get out of the old crowded family van in front of my high school and was so embarrassed
by the family chaos. Then I’ll pick a topic that other people can relate to, something that other people
have experienced.

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