Plots in Story Style Communication
B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsListen!ProtectedStep 2StoriesStyles
ReadOasis Step 2 The bell rang. And the students sat at their desks waiting. The teacher was late. The clock ticked and ticked. Finally, 13 minutes after the bell, the teacher entered the room. But strangely, he was pulling a big object into the class. The students watched in... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Gandalf the great wizard looked down on little Bilbo the hobbit. And Gandalf said, "I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it’s very difficult to find anyone." Bilbo frowned and said, "Sorry! I don’t want any adventures, thank... Read more
Find Meaning in Life’s Story
B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsListen!ProtectedStep 2StoriesStyles
ReadOasis Step 2 On one dark day in 1944, German soldiers forced Guido and his family onto a crowded train. Women and children cry and scream in the train as it rides rough through the night. Finally, the train stops. The doors open. And Guido and his family see... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 At the start of the film Gran Torino, Walt sits down on his front porch. He picks up the newspaper. And he starts to read to his dog. He reads the horoscope -- how the stars will show the future. "This year you have to make... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Leia listened to the quiet songs of little birds. She heard a gentle breeze blow through her window. The cool air touched her face. And she fell asleep in the softness of her bed. But as she slept, the air turned cold. And something moved in... Read more
Three Levels of Story Problems
B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsListen!ProtectedStep 3StoriesStyles
ReadOasis Step 3 Harry fell down hard on the rocks. Blood and dirt covered his face. He looked up and saw his enemy -- Voldemort. On his hands and knees, Harry crawled forward. He needed to grab his magic wand, or he was sure to die. Both wizards picked... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Professor Jones looks at his class. He can't believe his eyes! All his students lay sleeping on their desks. They fell asleep during his 90-minute talk. Sally stares at her computer waiting for a reply from her boss. She emailed him three days ago. But her... Read more
ReadOasis Step 3 George sat alone on the beach. The sun beat down hot on his head. The skin on his face turned red. The blue ocean looked so inviting and fresh. George spoke to himself, "I'm all alone, and it's dangerous, but I just have to jump in... Read more
C. S. Lewis: An Extraordinary Life (Step 2)
ArtsB1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsProtectedStep 2Stories 0
By David BelloReadOasis Step 2(Part 1) An ordinary boy and girl are looking at a painting on the wall. The painting shows a ship sailing in the middle of the big blue sea. As they look, they begin to notice something strange. The ship is moving up and down... Read more
By Blind Willie McTell (1927)ReadOasis Step 3 Blind Willie McTell put his guitar case on the ground next to an old brick building. In the late afternoon, the gentle light made the brick walls turn bright red. McTell looked up and stretched his arms up in the air. He... Read more
The First Lady of Song
ArtsB1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsCoursesListen!Music Step 3BProtectedStep 3Stories 5
ReadOasis Step 3 After her mother died, Ella had a lot of trouble. Her grades dropped at school. She couldn't find a good place to live. She became an orphan, a child whose parents are dead and gone. Eventually, she was sent to the New York Training School for... Read more
By Robert Louis Stevenson ReadOasis Step 2 I saw you toss the kites on high And blow the birds about the sky; And all around I heard you pass, Like ladies' skirts across the grass-- O wind, a-blowing all day long, O wind, that sings so loud a song!... Read more
W.C. Handy: Father of the Blues (Step 2)
ArtsB1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsCoursesMusic Step 2BProtectedStep 2Stories 0
By Maria SonoraReadOasis Step 2 "Then I saw the beauty of primitive music." W.C. Handy, Father of the Blues W.C. Handy grew up in the southern part of the United States, in a small town in Alabama. His father was a church leader, and Handy was raised in the... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Mary looked down at her cheese pizza and watched it go cold. Sally watched. After a long silence, she asked, "When did you lose it Mary?" Mary looked up and said, "I can't remember. It's just terrible. I just lost it!" "Well," said Sally, "maybe you... Read more
The Duke of Cowboy Actors
ArtsB1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsCoursesListen!Movies Step 2AProtectedStep 2Stories 0
ReadOasis Step 2 May 26th marks the birth of the great American film star John Wayne. He was born in the US state of Iowa in 1907 with the name Marion Morrison. His father’s poor health caused the family to move to Southern California. And there, Wayne attended school... Read more
By Robert Louis Stevenson ReadOasis Step 3 At evening when the lamp is lit, Around the fire my parents sit; They sit at home and talk and sing, And do not play at anything. Now, with my little gun, I crawl All in the dark along the wall, And... Read more
Yoshitoshi, Master of Block Prints
B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsProtectedStep 2StoriesTimes 1
ReadOasis Step 2 In Japan, there is a special kind of painting called "ukiyo-e." The word literally means "pictures of the floating world." Ukiyo-e are woodblock prints. This form of art is widely known through the paintings of Hokusai, especially his famous "Great Wave." Many ukiyo-e artists left their... Read more
By Hans Christian AndersenReadOasis Step 2(Part 1) It felt like the coldest night of the year. The snow was falling hard, and it was almost dark. If you listened carefully, you could hear the snow softly hitting the ground and the sound of distant footsteps crunching on ice. It... Read more
JK Rowling and Harry Potter (Step 3)
ArtsB1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsListen!ProtectedStep 3Stories 1
ReadOasis Step 3 After graduating from university in 1983, JK Rowling was living in London. She worked for the human rights group Amnesty International. But in 1990, she decided to move to Manchester. After spending a weekend looking for an apartment, she took the train back to London. It... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 You are sitting in a nice restaurant. You are about to enjoy an expensive meal with a friend. But then a man sitting at the table next to you starts smoking. To make matters worse, he blows smoke in your face. Why? He doesn't want to... Read more