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Feature Article (Magazine)

Feature Article (Magazine)

Definition:

Original piece of nonfiction journalism that places an emphasis on people or social issues rather than straight facts or news. Feature articles are human interest pieces presented in newspapers and magazines.

Purposes:

• To provide information of human interest
• To evoke an emotional response
• To provide another view on a topic
• To develop coherent understanding
• To provide more detail about a topic, issue, or event
• To highlight someone’s achievement
• To introduce an upcoming event

Characteristics:

• Catchy or clever titles
• Human interest
• Centered around a big idea
• Provides the author’s interpretation of the available researched information
• Often includes expert opinions and quotations
• Uses examples and stories
• Provides facts, laws, and statistics
• Original piece reflecting author’s creativity and style
• Subheadings
• Captions
• Often organized as a compare/contrast, cause/effect, chronological, problem/solution/response, multiple perspectives, or pro/con piece
• Descriptive language
• Interesting introduction appealing to curiosity and emotion
• May include text features, such as graphs, diagrams, charts, or timelines, etc., to enhance understanding of central ideas
• Concluding section ties text ideas together without summarizing

Grade Level Instructional Scope for COMPOSING the Genre and Text of a Feature Article:

Booklists:

• Grade 2

Access to the Documents:

Complete K-8 Genre Project
From the Michigan Department of Education

Complete K-8 Genre Booklist
From Kent Intermediate School District