Writing Feature Articles - Step 1 - Lesson 1 | Page 3

Writing Feature Articles - Step : Reading Companion

Reading Companion
Step : Generate Your Topic
After a whole-class mini lesson using a shared reading, students work independently to apply the new
strategy to a common text. Students read common texts because journalism, by its nature, lends itself
to group discussion and analysis. In order to facilitate rich discussions, students need to be familiar with
the same texts. Strategies/skills and mentor texts for shared and independent reading are described
below.
Step 1 requires students to select topics for their feature articles. Since this type of journalistic writing
may be unfamiliar, reading workshop can introduce examples of the genre through shared readings. The
goal is to support students in both reading comprehension and understanding of the range of topics and
angles feature articles address.
Strategy/Skill:

Recognizing the unique characteristics of a feature article
Reading “features” to enhance comprehension of feature articles
Beginner

Intermediate

Experienced

Teacher (Shared)
Reading*

“Pollution Police”
(Chicago Tribune)

“It’s (Really Not) All About
You” (Chicago Tribune)

“Fashion Police”
(Scholastic/NYT Up Front)

Student (Independent)
Reading

“Boy’s Goal is to Snuff
Out Smoking in Cars…”
(Chicago Tribune)

“A Police Death in
Brooklyn” (New York
Times) (non-example)

“School Big in Test
Tamper” (New York Post)
(non-example)

All texts can be found in the Text Binder.
* Teacher/shared readings can also be found in the Feature Articles Packet (Handout 1.1a).
Students will be able to:
?? Understand the difference between feature articles and other types of journalistic writing.
?? Recognize that feature articles re?ect the author’s unique angle.
?? Integrate new information into their prior knowledge of the topic.
?? Read an article and assess whether or not it shares the following characteristics of a feature
article:
o has a focused topic
o provides a new angle
o has “features” (headings, photographs and captions, subtitle)
o goes in-depth.
?? Record the “features” of the shared reading in their notebooks, by using the margins of the text
or post-it notes.

© 2010, Teaching Matters, Inc.

www.teachingmatters.org

Page 26