ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) A library is a building full of treasures. We keep these treasures in books. Books give us knowledge, entertainment, laughter, pleasure, new information, and power to change our lives. If reading is so important, how can we help people read more? Libraries and schools... Read more
Dear Skeptical Reader!
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ReadOasis: So this is our our second question with Dr. Richard Day. And this is from a student, and basically it’s this: What would you say to a student who doesn’t want to do ER because, let’s say, he or she wants to spend more time improving their listening... Read more
The bell rang. Jim’s things were already in his red book bag, which looked brown under the white lights of the classroom. Zip! Zip! He closed the bag. He stood up and let out a sigh, “Ahhhh.” It was loud enough that other students and the teacher noticed. Jim... Read more
By Cana Short ReadOasis Step 3 Now, you might be wondering, “How can this be a letter from Socrates, if Socrates never wrote anything?” It is true that I do not write much, at least not for others. But I am having my student Plato write this letter for... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 What is the Golden Rule? Some people say, "If you have the gold, you make the rules!" But seriously, the Golden Rule is a guide for behavior that we find in almost all cultures, religions, and moral systems. This rule has two basic forms. A negative... Read more
By Phillip WiseReadOasis Step 1 Philosophy is a way of thinking about the world, the universe, and people. Philosophy is abstract. It’s about ideas and thoughts, such as love, beauty, or truth. But philosophy also deals with the real world. Ethics is a part of philosophy, dealing with good and... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) Hope filled the air on that famous day in August 1963. Over 200,000 people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. Abraham Lincoln's giant statue looked down quietly on the great crowd as Dr. Martin Luther King walked up to the... Read more
By Cielo Vera ReadOasis Step 2 Gillian Lynne could not sit still. She was eight years old now. And her teachers worried about her performance at school. Perhaps she had a learning disorder. Gillian’s mother worried, too. She took her daughter to see a doctor. At the doctor’s office,... Read more
ReadOasis Step 1 Sam woke up when his car flew off the road. He heard the sound of breaking glass. He saw the starry sky. It appeared and disappeared as his car rolled over and over and over. Then with a loud crash, the car hit a tree. Sam... Read more
Culture of Innovation (Step 2)
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ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) It was a warm summer evening. The sun had already set, and the city lights were shining. In a busy part of Tokyo, people were leaving work. Some were going home. Others were going out to enjoy the evening. It was an ordinary night.... Read more
The Blind Men and the Elephant (Step 2)
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ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) Print by Hanabusa Itchō (1652–1724) Once upon a time, a long time ago, there were six blind men who stood by the roadside every day. Day after day, at the same place, they begged for food and money from the people who passed by.... Read more
How to Acquire Language (Step 2)
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ReadOasis Step 2 How do humans acquire languages? The answer is surprisingly simple. All people everywhere acquire languages in the same way. “We acquire languages by understanding messages.” This is called the “comprehension hypothesis,” and it was made by the linguist Dr. Stephen Krashen. I give this idea an... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) In the eyes of the world, Donald Miller was a big success. He had written a book about his life, Blue Like Jazz, and it became a New York Times bestseller. Movie producers approached him. They wanted to make a movie about his life.... Read more
Dr. Randall Short ReadOasis Step 2 What do you mean when you say “thank you”? What are you thinking and feeling when you thank someone for something? Think about times you said “thank you” recently, and consider your non-verbal language – your eyes, your smile, your voice, the way... Read more
ReadOasis Step 3 To inspire us to read more, it always helps to have a good role model. When I was a boy, my father read to me before I went to bed. I can still remember the books he read to me! In this way, my father showed... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) The buildings are rich in color and history. The trees are tall and stately. And the wind blows with the quiet whispers of the great people who have walked these paths. Eight American presidents have studied here. Some fifty Nobel Prize winners have been... Read more
ReadOasis Step 3 If you were going to die, what would your final message be? This question inspired the tradition called "The Last Lecture." In a Last Lecture, professors imagine that they are going to die. Then they give a talk about their most important thoughts and ideas. The... Read more
The Best Way to Learn Language
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ReadOasis Step 2 What’s the best way to learn a foreign language? As a linguist, I hear this question all the time. My students are in Japan, and many of them want to learn English. So they often ask me, “What’s the best way to improve my English?” Students... Read more
3 Questions for Your New Year’s Resolution (Step 1)
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By D.S. Aims ReadOasis Step 1 At the start of every year, millions of people make new resolutions. This means that they promise themselves to do something differently, or to try something new. For example, many people want to lose weight, quit smoking, or change another bad habit. Others... Read more
Reading a textbook isn't the same as reading a novel. Many people find it more difficult. They also find it less interesting. This is probably because they don't have a good reading system. Do you have a good system for reading textbooks? If not, SQ3R is a simple, five-step... Read more