Courses

The Blues: Music of Survival Hot

Arts Courses Levels Listen!Music Step 2A Public Step 2 Stories December 10, 2018

Four men were walking across a field. They were carrying a body wrapped up in white cloth. Their strong, black hands and arms supported the body as they walked on. Other men, women, and children walked behind. And the tall green trees listened. They listened to the cries of... Read more

Story Power

Courses Ideas Levels Movies Step 2B Public Step 2 Stories December 10, 2018

Dorothy looked up into the sky. And she started to sing. Her soft voice rose up gently in the air. Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high There’s a land that I’ve heard of once in a lullaby. Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue And the dreams that... Read more

Get Up Earlier than the Next Guy

Biz Biz Step 2A Courses Levels Protected Step 2 Stories December 10, 2018 1

By Tom Peters (Creative Commons) ReadOasis Step 2 Flying to Boston from London on Saturday morning. 7 hours. Professional woman sitting in front of me. I duly swear, she did not look up for 7 hours. She produced more on her laptop than I do in ... a week... Read more

Call of Duty Game Breaks Records Again

Biz Biz Step 2B Courses Levels News Protected Step 2 Stories December 10, 2018 1

ReadOasis Step 2 The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported this gaming news on November 12, 2010, summarized here at ReadOasis Step 2. The video game Call of Duty: Black Ops reached first-day sales of $360 million in the U.S. and U.K. The game is made by the company Activision.... Read more

The Duke of Cowboy Actors

Arts Courses Levels Listen!Movies Step 2A Protected Step 2 Stories December 7, 2018 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

W.C. Handy: Father of the Blues (Step 3)

Arts Courses Levels Listen!Music Step 3A Protected Step 3 Stories December 6, 2018 0

ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) "Then I saw the beauty of primitive music." W.C. Handy, Father of the Blues W.C. Handy at Age 19 W.C. Handy grew up in a small town in Alabama in the southern part of the US. His father was the pastor of a church,... Read more

Every Day I Have the Blues

Arts Courses Levels Music Step 2A Protected Step 2 Stories December 5, 2018

ReadOasis Step 2 Memphis Slim at the Piano Long black fingers were dancing. They were dancing on the white and black keys of the piano. From the comfort of their homes, people watched on their televisions. And they listened to the blue sounds of the piano. The piano player... Read more

$80,000 for One Song

Courses Levels Music Step 2B Protected Step 2 Stories Tech December 3, 2018 0

ReadOasis Step 2 The room is dark. You are alone. You are drinking a coke and downloading some songs from the Internet. Then you hear a crash. Your heart stops as you hear a man shout. "This is the police!" You catch your breath and say, "What?" Then another... Read more

Rakugo: A Funny Side of Japan

Courses Culture Step 3A Levels Protected Step 2 Stories Styles December 3, 2018 3

ReadOasis Step 2 Sakura started to cry. "No Tora-san! You can't leave again! I know that life is hard for you here. But when you leave, it's harder for me." Tora-san watched Sakura cry and wipe her tears. He felt so sorry for her, but he didn't say anything.... Read more

Number 42 (Step 2)

Courses Levels Movies Step 2A Protected Sports Step 2A Step 2 Stories Times November 30, 2018

ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) Jackie Robinson -- Number 42 (Image Wikipedia) A man stepped onto the baseball field. He walked across the green grass. His black hands held onto a white baseball bat. He adjusted his blue hat to keep the sun from his eyes. And as he... Read more

Transforming South Africa

Courses Culture Step 3A Levels Protected Step 3 Stories Times November 29, 2018 1

ReadOasis Step 3 It was an October day in 1993. The world watched as history was made. It seemed impossible just a few years back. But Nelson Mandela and Frederick de Klerk were receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. They had transformed the nation of South Africa. Mandela and de... Read more

Ben Franklin’s Curious Kite (Step 3)

Courses Invention Step 3A Levels Protected Sciences Step 3 Stories November 29, 2018 0

ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) “Quick! A storm is coming! Maybe there will be thunder and lightning! Get the kite, and let’s go fly it in the storm!” Photo by GPTMC Imagine hearing these words from your father. You might think going out to play in a storm is... Read more

The Nation of Cuba

Courses Culture Step 2A Levels Protected Step 2 Stories Times November 28, 2018 1

ReadOasis Step 2 Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean Sea. The country is made of the island of Cuba, the Island of Youth, and a number of small islands. Cuba is just south of the US state of Florida. It is just north of Jamaica. On January... Read more

Music: Good for Your Ears

Courses Ideas Levels Listen!Music Step 2B Protected Step 2 Stories November 27, 2018 2

ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) Clive Wearing sits at the piano. He stretches out his hands and fingers. He takes a deep breath. Then he begins to play. His fingers strike the keys, and the piano hammers hit the strings. The strings vibrate in beautiful harmony and precise rhythm.... Read more

Get Down to Business in English

Biz Biz Step 2B Courses Levels Protected Step 2 Stories Top Picks November 26, 2018 1

ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) A Big Decision As usual, the boss spoke clearly and in short sentences. “Okay, it’s decided. This meeting is over. You all know what to do.” One by one, the managers closed their notebooks and stood up. There were no jokes and no laughter.... Read more

Gregor Mendel: Father of Genetics

Courses Invention Step 3A Levels Listen!Protected Sciences Step 3 Stories November 26, 2018 2

ReadOasis Step 3 A great tree comes from a small seed, and from small beginnings come great things. He made one of the greatest discoveries in the history of science. But during his life, Gregor Mendel was a relatively unknown man. After his death, he became famous for his... Read more

The Heaviest Band: Led Zeppelin

Arts Courses Levels Music Step 3A Protected Step 3 Stories November 23, 2018 0

By Douglas Forster ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) Good evening. My name is James Patrick Page. But most everyone knows me as Jimmy Page. I am the lead guitarist for the greatest rock and roll band of all time, Led Zeppelin. This is our story through my eyes. I... Read more

Isaac Watts: Father of Hymns (Step 3)

Arts Courses Levels Listen!Music Step 3A Protected Step 3 Stories November 20, 2018 1

ReadOasis Step 3 By Maria Sonora A hymn is a song of praise to God. In many cultures, people sing hymns at church services and on special celebrations like Christmas. Many prominent musicians today, such as Beyonce Knowles, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash, and Carrie Underwood mastered singing and performing... Read more

Michael Jackson: King of Pop

Arts Courses Levels Listen!Music Step 3B Protected Step 3 Stories November 19, 2018 0

ReadOasis Step 3 In March 1983, Motown Records celebrated its 25th anniversary with a major television event. Many Motown artists gave impressive performances, but Michael Jackson upstaged them all when he sang Billie Jean and revealed his signature dance move, the moonwalk. His performance caused many to perceive him... Read more

The Story of Aspirin

Courses Invention Step 3A Levels Protected Sciences Step 3 Stories November 19, 2018

ReadOasis Step 3 For Jim, the morning started in pain. It was a sharp pain in the front of his head. It hurt so bad that he found it hard to get out of bed. But he had to get up because today was another busy day at work. He... Read more