Graphic Students featured on Elephant Rag Blog

Two GLTS students, Kyle and Felicia, who are part of the Embedded Academics curriculum were recently featured on another blog, The Elephant Rag. The Elephant Rag features children's books with voices from around the world. You'll find links to book lists, interviews, talk about cultures, and stories from amazing people. Way to Kyle and Felicia:)

Feature Formula?

Can you write a feature story based on a formula or template? Yes, you can. Although the subject of each feature story may be unique, there are some general guidelines that we can follow. Consider this template to be a guideline when you are developing your story.  The template is illustrated and explained in this PowerPoint from the University Interscholastic League based at The University of Texas at Austin. We will review this together in class.

News Sources on the Web

As part of the writing process for your feature story, we will be interviewing at least 2 individuals, using at least 3 websites and accessing one online news source or newspaper. Here is a great list of online news services that provide up-to-the-minute news.

News story? Feature Story? What's the diff?

So far, we have been talking about using the inverted pyramid or inverted triangle structure for our stories. With the inverted triangle, the most important information is placed at the begining of the story and the least important information at the end. This is a typical format for news reporting and it effectively addresses the who, what, where, when, and why. The story has a beginning and a definite ending. The story ends when the story ends.

News feature stories take on a different type of structure. News Features takes an in-depth look at what’s going on behind the news. This website explains it best: " Feature stories get into the lives of people. These types of stories try to explain why and how a trend developed. Unlike news, a feature does not have to be tied to a current event or a breaking story. But it can grow out of something that’s reported in the news." Many feature stories address the "how" part of a story.

As we take stock of our topics, let's ensure that you know which type of structure your story will follow. Is it news or is it a news feature? Check out some of these great examples written by students of different types of news and feature stories:

• News Feature: Internet Plagiarism
• Eyewitness Account: Anticipating the Dream
• Profile of a Person: From Bed Bound to Breaking Boards
• Interview Report: Student Entrepreneur...

Great headlines leave us wanting more

It's true. A great headline is a hook into the story content. Headlines ask questions, make statements and have fun with language. Alliteration and assonance are two great ways to have fun with language. The general rule of thumb is that a headline is 8 words or less. Here are some great sites full of formulas, examples and tips for creating impactful headlines:

• 10 Sure-Fire Headline Formulas That Work  You need to consider that some of these formulas may leave you with a headline that sounds a little tabloid-like. That being said, if you don't have a starting point, some of these formulas may give you one.
• Today's Front Pages at Newseum.org
  From Alabama to Venzuela, the Newseum displays these daily newspaper front pages in their original, unedited form. One of the best ways to come up with a headline of your own is to study the headlines of others. Please note that some front pages may contain material that is objectionable to some visitors. Viewer discretion is advised.
• Fundamentals of Copy and Layout
  This is a link to the book, "Fundamentals of copy & layout" By Albert C. Book, C. Dennis Schick. Although this chapter addresses headlines for advertisements, the section on headlines is useful for our purposes.

By the way, if you wish to create a newspaper clip like the one that I did for this post, click here.