activity of text interpretation, aimed at students in the fifth year of elementary school, about Maria Clara Machado. No wonder – since the 1950s, her works have entertained and enchanted audiences across the country.. Shall we know her story? So, read the text carefully! Then answer the various interpretive questions proposed!
You can download this text comprehension activity in editable Word template ready to print in PDF and also the activity with answers.
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The history of Brazilian children's theater is intertwined with the life of Maria Clara Machado. No wonder – since the 1950s, her works have entertained and enchanted audiences across the country.
Maria Clara was born on April 3, 1921, in Belo Horizonte/MG. Daughter of writer Aníbal Machado, she moved to Rio de Janeiro with her family at the age of four. Throughout her childhood, she lived with intellectuals and artists, friends of her father, waking up early to the world of the arts.
As a teenager, she joined the Bandeirante Movement, working at the outpatient clinic of the Patronato Operário da Gávea. It was there that she had her first experience on stage, entertaining the children who were there with puppet theater acts.
In 1949, as an adult, Maria Clara won a scholarship from the French government to study theater in Paris. During the period she spent in Europe, she had the chance to learn from great masters of the dramatic arts.
The season in Europe was inspiring. In 1951, back in Brazil, the lively Maria Clara gathered a group of friends and created the amateur theater group “O Tablado”.
The initial idea was to stage shows for adult audiences only. But in 1953, with the premiere of “The bull and the donkey on the way to Belém”, her first children's play, Maria Clara Machado was never separated from her children.
Throughout her career, she has created 27 children's plays, such as the great hits "Pluft, the ghost", "The little witch who was good" and "The blue horse", among many others.
Maria Clara was a writer, actress, theater director and teacher of performing arts. His steady hand and dedication turned “O Tablado” into one of the main centers for training actors in Brazil.
She died at age 80, on April 30, 2001. […]
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Question 1 - The text above is:
( ) A tale.
( ) a review.
( ) a biography.
Question 2 – In the passage “[…] since the 1950s, her works have entertained and enchanted audiences across the country.”, Whose text does the text refer to?
Question 3 – Read back:
“During her childhood, she lived with intellectuals and artists, friends of her father, waking up early to the world of the arts.”
This snippet is:
( ) a narration.
( ) a description.
( ) an argument.
Question 4 – According to the text, in which city did Maria Clara Machado “live her first experience on stage”?
( ) Paris.
( ) Rio de Janeiro.
( ) Belo Horizonte.
Question 5 – According to the text, “[…] Maria Clara gathered a group of friends and created the amateur theater group ‘O Tablado’.”, in the year of:
( ) 1949.
( ) 1951.
( ) 1953.
Question 6 - Identify the first children's piece created by Maria Clara Machado:
( ) “Pluft the little ghost”.
( ) “The little witch who was good”.
( ) “The ox and the donkey on the way to Belém”.
Question 7 - In “Your steady wrist and dedication turned ‘O Tablado’ into one of the main centers for training actors in Brazil.”, the underlined term indicates:
( ) facts that add up.
( ) facts that alternate.
( ) facts that contrast.
By Denyse Lage Fonseca
Graduated in Letters and specialist in distance education.
