Paragraph Composition

1.     Read the following passage and list examples of recreational activities that Brazilian people participate in.

Games and Sports – located on the Culture Grams website at

Few countries love soccer (futebol) like Brazil does. Gigantic stadiums fill up for games. Nearly every boy plays soccer, and schools and businesses close for important national or World Cup matches. Basketball and volleyball are also popular. Kids play card or board games, go to each other’s houses, swim at the beach, or play video or computer games if their parents can afford them. Those who live near the coast enjoy sunbathing and swimming at the beautiful beaches. Fishing, skin diving, and boating are popular along the coast and on parts of the Amazon River. Capoeira is a popular sport in which participants improvise dance and martial arts moves to rhythmical music and requires speed, flexibility, and accuracy.

• Soccer
• Volleyball
• Swimming
• Board games
• Skin diving
• Beaches
• Video or computer games
• Boating
• Cards
• Basketball
• Fishing
• Dance

2.     Group any of these?

Soccer, volleyball, and basketball

Beaches, volleyball, boating, swimming, skin-diving, and fishing

Videogames, computer games, board games, and cards

Dance

Labels for these groups?

Sports	Coastal	Indoor
Soccer Volleyball Basketball Dance (Capoeira)	Beaches Volleyball Boating Swimming Skin-diving Fishing	Videogames Computer games Board games Cards

3.  Clarify any of these activities?

Dance – 

ü      What kind of dance? “Capoeira is a popular sport in which participants improvise dance and martial arts moves to rhythmical music and requires speed, flexibility, and accuracy.” From the Culture Grams website

ü      Where do they dance?

ü      What types of music do they require? Rhythmical…nothing in particular.

ü      How do they learn these dances? There isn’t a particular dance – it’s improvised (look it up)

ü      Costumes?

ü      Besides enjoyment, another reason for dancing?

Skin-diving – what is it?

Fishing – what types of fish?

4.      Compose an informational paragraph using details from your notes above.

People living in Brazil enjoy a variety of indoor and outdoor activities.  Brazilians enjoy volleyball, basketball, soccer, and a form of dance called “Capoeira.”  The most popular sport is soccer.  Soccer is so popular in Brazil that stores close during important games like in the World Cup.  Many Brazilians do lots of coastal activities such as boating, fishing, and skin diving.  In addition to sporting and coastal activities, Brazilians also like indoor activities, too.  They like to play videogames, computer games, board games, and cards.  So, these are some examples of recreational activities that Brazilians like to do for entertainment.