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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

DIVISION OF SAN JOSE DEL MONTE CITY


San Ignacio St., Poblacion, City of San Jose del Monte 3023
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Journalism
Learning Activity Sheet
Quarter 3: Lesson 1
Write a human interest feature and character sketch using different styles
WRITING FEATURES
Background Information for the Learners
Features and News Compared
There is no standard definition that could embrace the full meaning of ‘Feature
Writing’ when dealing with journalistic form of writing. It contains diverse topics that
are of interest to wide readers. Usually, the feature articles are in a form of essay.
They differ from a news in terms of the following:
1. In general, news aims to inform the public while feature aims to entertain
2. News is direct to the point while feature writing can be indirect in terms of
the presentation of thoughts
3. News is usually deductive (it begins from broad to specific) while a feature
can be either deductive or inductive
4. News use words that are easily understood by the readers while a feature
can use words to make the description more vivid
5. News is informative while a feature is descriptive though it can also be
informative
6. News is timely while a feature may or may not be.

Making an Introduction
Unlike a straight news story, a feature article may begin in any form and in any
style. This depends on the topic or purpose of the writer. Most features, however,
may be introduced by any of the following:
1. Rhetorical question
Example:
Who says that age is an obstacle to education?
Take it from Danilo Marcelo of Arayat, Pampanga who stopped going
to school seven years ago after finishing the elementary grades. This year at
24, he enrolled as a Grade 7 evening student at Abad High School.

2. Startling statement
Example:
“Hindi pa kami laos!”
Thus exclaimed the young once teachers, administrators, parents,
community, and barangay members as they set aside one special day during
the school’s celebration of Community Week.

3. Narrative opening
Example:

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Mrs. Adelfa Prado, a Grade 10 evening student, sends herself and her
six children to school, acting as mother and father at the same time.
Every day, Mrs. Prado divides her time as half-time tinder tending her
sari-sari store during the day and as half-time student studying at night.

4. Quoted remarks
Example:
“I earn, while I learn.” He smiled at me as the interview reeled off. “How
can you work, have a part time job, and at the same time go to school?” I
asked.
“Well, it is easy” he explained. “I don’t do all of these at the same time.”

5. An old maxim, an aphorism or a salawikain


Example:
“Water, water, everywhere, but not a drop to drink.”
This quotation from the Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel
Coleridge does not hold true anymore. Today even flood water can quench
the thirst. How?

6. History or background of the subject


Example:
Muslims throughout the world, including our Filipino Muslim brothers,
observe the holy month of Ramadan starting September 17. Ramadan is the
ninth lunar month of the Muslim calendar. It is observed by Muslims just as
the Lenten season is commemorated by Christians.

7. Problems to be discussed in the article or fact to be established


Example:
There is an answer to the rising cost of vegetables: raise your own.

Developing the Composition


When developing paragraphs for feature articles, the following ways may be
useful to organize the ideas in the composition: Comparison and Contrast,
Classification, Partitioning, Cause-Effect, Examples, Chronological, and Listing.
1. Comparison and Contrast
Giving the similarities and differences of topics being dealt with in the
composition can be a styles when writing a feature article. For instance, you
will be comparing the youth of today and the past. If you are to write about
them what will be your focus? Will you compare the wat they practice and
show respect to elders, their learning styles, their hobbies, their decision-
making, etc.? In this approach it can be very helpful if you are going to

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outline their similarities and differences, then out from that is where you will
be developing your ideas into a composition.

2. Classification
This approach requires knowledge of knowing how to group ideas according
to a particular basis or reason. Let us say you interviewed three famous
personalities in your campus. Your topic is about identifying or determining
how they balance their studies and extra-curricular activities. In writing such,
you have to group their similar responses, and that is where you develop
your composition.

3. Partitioning
It is specifying and explaining the nature, general characteristics, and
purpose of every part of the object. Assume that you will be writing about the
different parts of a gadget. In discussing your topic, enumerate the parts and
discuss each.

4. Cause-Effect
It is showing the connection between the cause or reason and results or
outcome of the existence of a thing or the occurrence of an event.

5. Examples
It is enumerating things to justify or prove one’s views.
6. Chronological
It is presenting the ideas based on the time of occurrence. This is common if
you are writing about the life of a person.
Ending your Composition
To end the composition, the following techniques can be considered:
1. Summarize the composition;
2. Repeat the ideas initially presented in the introduction;
3. If you cite problems in the introduction, you can end your composition by
summarizing the suggested solution to the problem;
4. Plan the outcome of a certain action; and
5. Mention the things or lessons you get from the experience. This will make
the composition more relevant.

Writing a Title
Other writers have already in mind the title of their composition. From that is where
they will be crafting their composition. However, many writers consider writing their
title after they are done with their composition:
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1. The How To’s
Examples: How to Apply for Admission in College
How to Ace Your Exam

2. One-word Title
Examples: Wait!
Desiderata

3. Phrasal Title
Examples: One More Chance
Take It Back

4. Title based on a line in Literature


Examples: A Run to Remember (from the book/film A Walk to Remember)
He Hates Me, He Hates Me Not (from He Loves Me, He Loves Me
Not)

5. Coining of New words


Examples: PIAtiful Elise (comes from the name of Pia Wurtzbach)
Printeresting (comes from the words Print and Interesting)

6. Use of description or Action word


Examples: Undefeatable Ronnie
John the Great

7. Sounds like… Title


Examples: A Lob Story (Lob sounds like ‘love’)
UnDEANiable (from the words undeniable where the second
syllable – den sounds like dean)

8. Using of quotation
Examples: Chris Ellis: ‘It’s not the point that counts, it’s determination’
Nigella Lawson: ‘I would be a nervous wreck if I believed all the
bad things written about me’

9. Using of question
Examples: Will John Make it?
Lea and Clark’s Almost Kiss in “On the Wings of Love”, Achieve
or Not Achieve?

10. Description introduced by a subject and a colon


Examples: PUP Cadets: Three Ghosts that March, Giggle at the campus on
Sundays
ROSEBUD: From Spy to Dancing Queen
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11. Titles with rhymes
Examples: Homeless, Landless
Rattled, Fluttered Interest

12. Oddity in the title


Examples: The Man Who Swallowed His Neighbor’s Balut
Tree-like Skin of a Visionary

Learning Competency: Write a human interest feature and character sketch


using different styles

Directions/ Instructions
Read and jot important concepts/notes for your future reference. Analyze
and accomplish the given activities. You may use different reading materials and
internet resources to complete the given tasks. Write your answer on a sheet of
paper.

Exercises/Activities

A. Direction: Read the following excerpts from different articles and identify if they
are News of Feature. Write N if it’s News and F if it’s Feature.
___1. A. I must admit, I was just creating meaning out of those actions you made:
From those services you offered as waiter, from those smiles you gave when you
saw me walking along the aisle of the building, from those glances you made just
to notice you, and from those whereabouts you asked me about the event in which
I was one of the staffs.
___2. As part of the accreditation process, accreditors from AACCUP visited the
campus' extension project at Sitio Kamatisan, San Roque, Antipolo City on
September 4.
___3. A student assembly was organized in the College of Small Scale Industry on
September 28. The activity aimed to orient the students about the existing rules
and policies implemented in the University and to raise the issues and concerns of
the students and the faculty under the college.
___4. Fairy tales are not just tales. They are tales about love. They are tales of our
inhibitions of ideal love. They are tales of our wants to have happy ever after story
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___5. Life is not given for us to experience complicated things; it is us who just
make everything complicated through our unlawful actions and through our wrong
dispositions.

B. Direction: Choose the correct answer that best fits each statement.
1. ___________leads are most commonly used in feature stories.
A. Summary B. Novelty C. Grammatical

2. ___________the adjective that characterizes best a feature story.


A. Informative B. Entertaining C. Instructive

3. A feature story that is based on a timely news happening is ___________.


A. Historical essay B. News-feature C. Personality Sketch

4. A feature story usually follows the ___________structure.


A. directly descriptive B. inverted pyramid C. pyramid

5. Which one portrays the school principal as a humane person?


A. He married in his teens.
B. He is a disciplinarian.
C. He feeds a stray cat from his lunch.

6. A personality sketch should be ______________________.


A. directly descriptive
B. suggestive of the subject through an account of activities

7. A very good angle for a feature story on Andres Bonifacio in connection with
the celebration of Bonifacio Day would be ______________________.
A. He is known as the “Great Plebian.”
B. He wanted to be a priest when he was still a teenager.
C. He advocated reforms through violent means.

8. A brief history if the school may be published as ___________.


A. A side bar B. a backgrounder C. an interpretation

9. If you were to play up one person in the community whom would you select?
A. The most handsome guy
B. The richest politician
C. The farmer who has raised the biggest squash

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10. A ___________publishes more feature stories than news.
A. newspaper B. tabloid C. magazine

C. Direction: Write Fact if the statement is correct and if Bluff not.


_____1. The chronological order would be better than the inverted pyramid for a
human interest story.
_____2. Inanimate objects may be the subject matter for human interest stories.
_____3. The appeal of feature stories is to particular readers rather than just to
anyone.
_____4. The persistent topnotcher would command a better feature than a junior
student who defended the honor of his widowed mother from a neighborhood
bully.
_____5. Dialogue should form part of a human interest story.
_____6. If the story appeals to the emotion, the feature tends to sentimentalize.
_____7. The appeal of feature stories leans on its dramatic quality.
_____8. Emphasis on language in feature writing is not as important as in news
writing.
_____9. As in fiction, the feature writer may use devices such as narration,
suspense, climax, description, etc.
_____10. Features do not follow any form or style.

D. Performance Task (20 points)


Direction: Write a feature article based on the news below:

Record-high 7.6 million families experienced hunger in past 3 months – SWS


An estimated 7.6 million Filipino households went hungry due to lack of food
at least once during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, a Social
Weather Stations (SWS) survey found.
Results released on Sunday, September 27, showed hunger incidence of
30.7% – the highest rate since the previous record of 23.8% in March 2012.

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The SWS said this refers to the proportion of families experiencing
involuntary hunger, or hunger due to lack of food to eat.
The survey was conducted through mobile phone from September 17 to 20
among 1,249 adult Filipinos aged 18 years old and above.
The latest September figure is 9.8 points higher than July 2020's 20.9% and
almost 22 points higher than December 2019's 8.8%, or before the health
crisis reached the Philippines.
Topic: Hunger
Rubric for Scoring the Feature Article
Skills 10 – Expert 8– 6 – Capable 4 – Beginner
Accomplished
Quality of  Piece was  Piece was  Piece had little  Piece had no
Writing written in an written in an style or voice style or voice
extraordinary interesting style  Gives some  Gives no new
style and voice and voice new information information but
 Very informative  Somewhat but and poorly and very poorly
and well- informative and organized organized
organized organized  The title doesn’t  The paper has
 The title is  The title is catch attention no title
interesting and somewhat and ordinary
unique interesting and
unique

Mechanics and  Paper has 1-3  Paper averages  Paper averages  Paper averages
Style errors in 1 errors per 2 errors per 3 or more errors
punctuation, paragraph. paragraph. per paragraph.
capitalization,
spelling, verb
tense, etc. per
paragraph.

E. Posttest (25 points)


Directions: Do the following tasks.
A. Write an interesting title based on these facts. You may use any of the
discussed types of title in the previous pages of this activity sheet (5 points)

The dog’s name is Pogi. It’s an ordinary dog owned by a barber who
keeps chickens. The dog was fond of eggs. The barber saw hum eating eggs.
He took the dog in a car and drove ten kilometers away. Then, he took the dog
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out of the car and drove him away with stones. While throwing stones at the
dog he lost his wallet. He did not discover the fact till he got home. He heard
a cry at the door next morning. There was the dog with the wallet in his mouth.
The man was surprised at first. Then he was happy. He spoke kindly to the
dog and decided to keep him.

B. Write a catchy one-paragraph introduction about the topic Lenten


Season or kwaresma. You may choose from the different types of
introduction discussed. (10 points)

C. Write a feature story about your hobby, or someone else’s hobby.


Include interesting descriptive matter, and suggest a photograph that would
go with the story. Let your purpose be informative and your manner
appreciative. (Criteria: Quality of Writing- 5pts, Mechanics- 5 pts. Total=10
points)

References
Cruz, C.-J. (1997). Campus Journalism and School Paper Advising . Manila: Rex Book Store.
Nataño, N. M., & Bayangos-Marquez, E. C. (2019). Journalism Approach to Teaching and
Learning Communication in English. Mandaluyong: Books ATBP Publihing Corp.

Answer Key

D and E. (to be checked by the teacher)

10. FACT 10. C

9. BLUFF 9. C

8. FACT 8. B

7. FACT 7. B

6. FACT 6. B

5. FACT 5. C 5. F

4. BLUFF 4. A 4. F

3. BLUFF 3. B 3. N

2. FACT 2. B 2. N

1. FACT 1. B 1. F

C. B. A.

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