Styles | ReadOasis

5 Stages of Culture Blues

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ReadOasis Step 3 Corey loved Japan. But not today. The honeymoon was over. He had enjoyed sushi, ramen, temples, and gardens. But today, he was tired. He tried to speak Japanese. But the words didn't come out. He missed his family and friends. He missed home. Corey started to... Read more

The Magic of Hidden Culture

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ReadOasis Step 2 On his first day in Spain, Harry got lost in Madrid. He thought: "These streets aren't like home in Toronto." 500-year-old buildings. Gray stone streets. Red meat hanging in shop windows. The smell of fresh bread. The sound of a guitar in the park. "So, this... Read more

Cultural Quest — 10 Key Questions

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ReadOasis Step 2 The alarm sounded. "Beep, beep, beep!" The morning sun shone into Zoe's room. As she opened her eyes, she saw her plane ticket. Tokyo. "Oh my," she said to herself. "The day is here! I'm really going." Today, Zoe will fly for the first time. And... Read more

The Good Speaker’s Secret

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ReadOasis Step 2 Gary stood in front of the class. He looked at all his students. He opened his mouth to speak. But the students didn't listen. They talked to each other. He started speaking again. "Today, I want to talk about The Old Man and the Sea. Do... Read more

Do You Know How Your Body Talks?

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ReadOasis Step 2 Do you know how your body talks? Can it help you share your thoughts and feelings? A famous psychologist, Albert Mehrabian, studied these questions. He looked at how our bodies show others what we think and feel. Let's see what he found with two simple examples.... Read more

A Colorful Cultural Connection

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ReadOasis Step 3 Mia and Sam lived in Los Angeles. Mia's family came from Mexico. Sam's family came from Japan. Raised in different cultures, they grew up learning different things. Mia loved spicy food and danced to Latino music. She often greeted people with a hug. Sam enjoyed sushi... Read more

12 Rules for Crossing Cultures

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ReadOasis Step 3 Mo climbed up the rocky mountain. Suddenly, a rock broke off under his foot. He grabbed onto a small tree and watched the rock bounce down and down. He took a deep breath and looked up. And he saw the mountain top covered in smoke, fire,... Read more

Zombies in English Class

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ReadOasis Step 1 John sat down. He opened his English book. But he felt sleepy. He closed his eyes. And then he heard a loud BANG! He looked up. He saw a dirty, green zombie. The zombie walked over to John. The zombie came closer and closer. It opened... Read more

How to Attain Presentation Zen (Step 2)

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ReadOasis Step 2 PowerPoint is the most popular presentation software today. Over 400 million copies are in use. But there are problems with PowerPoint. It can cause you to simplify too much and stop you from connecting with people. To give good presentations, you need practice. Expert presenter Garr... Read more

How Do You Learn Culture?

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ReadOasis Step 2 Scientists ask hard questions. For example, what is electricity? In the 1830s, Michael Faraday asked questions about electricity. And his answers changed the world. He made the first electric motor. And Faraday helped to give the world electric power. Here's another hard question. How can we... Read more

Black History Month

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ReadOasis Step 2 February is Black History Month in the US. The month honors important people and events about Africans who are spread out around the world. This tradition began in the US. The US and Canada celebrate black history in February, and the UK does so in October.... Read more

Don’t Read = Can’t Read

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ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) “A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read.” Mark Twain Mark Twain in the Tesla Science Lab Mark Twain was the funniest man in America. He went on adventures. He travelled the world. He met presidents and kings. And... Read more

Dating Advice from the Rabbi (Step 2)

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A Joke Told by Marty Adickman ReadOasis Step 2 So it's Friday night in the synagogue, and during the course of the service, the rabbi standing at the pulpit is looking out over the back of the congregation. And in the very back he sees a young man who's... Read more

The 5 Minute Drill

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ReadOasis Step 3 Creative Commons Photo by William Warby How can teachers help students read more and feel more like reading. Try the five minute drill! This activity helps readers avoid procrastination and kickstart their reading behavior. Readers act as if they are interested and motivated to read by... Read more

Is That a Fish in Your Ear

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Book Trailer by David Bellos ReadOasis Step 5 Um, Well, different languages have words for mostly similar kinds of things. I mean, because we're all human, you know, we have words for legs, and arms, and hands. And we have words for up and down. And we have words... Read more

The Way of Green Tea (Step 1)

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Zoe Nova (simplifying Mahalo.com) ReadOasis Step 1 People have been drinking green tea for about 5,000 years. Green tea came from China. And today it is produced mainly in China and Japan. Green tea is different from other kinds of tea. The leaves are not processed much. So green... Read more

TOEFL and IELTS

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ReadOasis Step 2 Most serious learners of English know about the TOEFL. But did you know that many American colleges and universities accept two major English tests? First, they accept the Test of English as a Foreign Language, or TOEFL. And second, they accept the International English Language Testing... Read more

Why Learn English?

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ReadOasis Step 2 English is currently the world’s common language. It’s the international language of business, politics, and the Internet. About 400 million people speak English as a first language. And about a billion people are learning it today. To learn any foreign language, we need motivation. Motivation is... Read more

Word Power is Life

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ReadOasis Step 2 We all have something to say. A boy likes a girl, and so he says, “I like you!” A traveller gets lost, so he asks a stranger, “Can you show me the way?” A woman sees a man walk in front of a bus, and she... Read more

5 Amazing Facts About Reading

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What’s the best way to improve your English? Of course, there are many ways. But big, easy reading is one of the best. And it probably has the most research and evidence to support it. What is big, easy reading? First, you read lots of books and stories. That’s... Read more