Styles

5 Amazing Facts About Reading

A2-Beginner+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Public Step 2 Stories Styles November 18, 2019 4

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

The Doll Festival (Step 2)

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Culture Step 2A Protected Step 2 Stories Styles October 4, 2019 0

By Zoe Nova ReadOasis Step 2 Japan is a land of festivals. And on March 3, Japanese families may celebrate the "Hina Matsuri" or Doll Festival. This is also called Girl's Day. On Girl's day, families pray for the health and happiness of their girls. During the Doll Festival,... Read more

Culture and Health

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 2 Stories Styles August 25, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 2 What is the relationship between culture and health? The following study compares Italians, Japanese, and French with the British and Americans. First, we examine fat in the diet. The Japanese eat very little fat. The British and the Americans eat more fat than the Japanese. And... Read more

Rakugo: A Funny Side of Japan

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Culture Step 3A Protected Step 2 Stories Styles August 12, 2019 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

Ten Tools for Making More Happiness

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 2 Stories Styles August 4, 2019

ReadOasis Step 2 Mary looked into the eyes of her new baby. "She's so beautiful," said Mary almost singing. Mary continued her song, "My goodness! I'm so happy! This is the happiest moment in my life!" And yes, it was. In fact, most couples feel the purest kind of... Read more

Reading Can Beat Study Abroad (TV)

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Public Step 2 Stories Styles TV August 1, 2019 3

In this ReadOasis video, Dr. Hitoshi Nishizawa explains his research. He compared TOEIC scores for two kinds of students. Some studied for one year in English speaking countries. Others did extensive graded reading in Japan. Some of these students read more than 3 million words. And they got about... Read more

Reading Should Be Fun!

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Public Step 2 Stories Styles TV July 31, 2019 1

Interview with Dr. Charles Browne, Professor, Meiji Gakuin University. This is “Charles the Great,” from Meiji Gakuin University, and of course, English Central and many other places. And affectionately known as “Charlie.” We are going to ask him a couple of questions about extensive reading. first... Read more

The Shaka Sign

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 2 Stories Story Styles July 30, 2019

ReadOasis Step 2 In Hawaii, one gesture rules them all. Locals call it "shaka." And they use the shaka sign to say, "Hello," "How’s it going?" and "Thank you!" But shaka also shows something else. It shows the spirit of Hawaii, called "Aloha." Aloha is the Hawaiian word for... Read more

Don’t Read = Can’t Read

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 2 Stories Styles Top Picks July 28, 2019 4

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

Tokyo: Crowded, Expensive, and Delicious

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 2 Stories Styles July 25, 2019 1

ReadOasis Step 2 You are on your way to work. It's rush hour, and the train is packed. People are pressed against you on all sides. The train speeds along, but you can't move. Finally, you stop; the doors open, and you push your way out. It's Shinjuku Station,... Read more

Reading Makes Words Stick in Your Brain

B3-Intermediate++CEFR Levels Listen!Public Step 2 Styles Teachers TV July 24, 2019 0

ReadOasis: So here we are with Dr. Paul Nation, Professor Emeritus at the University of Wellington, Victoria (New Zealand). And of course one of the most well-known linguists in the world. It’s an honor to have him. Just one quick question for our learners: How can extensive graded reading help... Read more

A Great King of Baseball: Hank Aaron

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 2 Stories Styles July 23, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 2 Hank Aaron's 755th Home run ball by Dan Gaken (CC) Hank Aaron was born on February 5, 1934, in Mobile Alabama (USA). He was one of seven children. Aaron grew up poor, but he loved baseball. He started playing professional baseball with the Mobile Black Bears... Read more

Improve Your Word Power

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Public Step 1 Stories Styles July 21, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 1 So you want to improve your word power. But what words should you learn first? You can waste time learning uncommon words first. But it’s smart to learn the most common words at the beginning. The top 2,000 words of English make up 80% of all... Read more

Beginners Get Sorted

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 4 Stories Styles July 17, 2019 0

A Book Trailer ReadOasis Step 4 Sorted is built from a group of old school friends, most of whom couldn't cook. Ben, a chef, started showing us his recipes on the back of *beer mats. And what began as a small group of school mates looking for food solutions,... Read more

TOEFL and IELTS

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 2 Stories Styles July 16, 2019 0

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

How to Do Big, Easy Reading!

A1-Basic BNC Levels CEFR Levels Public Step 1 Stories Styles July 13, 2019 1

ReadOasis Step 1 How do you do big, easy reading? Well first, what is “easy”? Here’s where people make a big mistake. They think knowing 70% or 80% of the words in a story is easy. But in just 4 pages, 80% = 200 unknown words! That’s way too... Read more

How to Attain Presentation Zen (Step 2)

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Ideas Listen!Protected Step 2 Stories Styles July 9, 2019 1

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

Is That a Fish in Your Ear

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 5 Stories Styles July 5, 2019 0

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

Extensive Reading, Because it Works!

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Public Step 2 Stories Styles TV July 3, 2019 2

This is Professor Thomas Robb from Kyoto Sangyo University, and he is one of the world’s renowned experts on extensive graded reading. Q: Tell us. Why should students do extensive reading? Dr. Robb: Why? Because it works. I’ve done it for Japanese as well. Really? Yeah. So I chose a mystery... Read more

The 5 Minute Drill

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 3 Stories Styles July 1, 2019 0

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