Features Tutorial

Ask the students to read the Features section in the handbook.

Emphasise how while a feature article is always focused on a specific topic it also generally has a theme or a message.

Get the class to look at some of the following features examples.

Maeve Quigley, Irish Daily Mail

Shauna Corr, Irish Daily Star

Irish Examiner

The Sunday Times

Ask them to identify in general terms what topic the article seems to be examining and maybe to guess what they think the main message might be.

After these pages have been read each student should take a newspaper and do the following:

Features Tutorial

1. Write down the name of their paper and date published.
2. Identify a feature
3. Write down the headline/ sub head and byline.
4. Break the article down using the following prompts:

• What topic is the article focusing on?
• How does it try to catch the reader’s attention at the start?
• Is there colourful, descriptive language or is it more informative and factual?
• How does the feature article end? (Is there a quote, a punchline, does it draw a conclusion or refer back to the opening?)
• Was there some kind of hook or angle to the feature article that caught your attention?
• Were many quotes used? If so from what sources?

After each student has read and analysed a feature article by themselves they could then compare their analysis in pairs and feed back to the group.