ReadOasis Step 3 Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) was a Japanese artist, painter, and maker of prints, called UKIYO-E. During his life, he was the leading expert on Chinese painting in Japan. His most famous work is The Great Wave off Kanagawa, created in the 1820s. The Great Wave comes from... Read more
Mark Twain and Tom Sawyer (Step 3)
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ReadOasis Step 3 Tom Sawyer gets in and out of trouble all the time. But he has a good heart, and he slowly grows to become a leader among his friends. His leadership ability was always there; it was just hidden in his playful heart and free spirit. The... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 King Henry wanted to marry Anne Boleyn. But he had a problem. He was married to Catherine of Aragon. Henry was the king of England, but he had to follow the rules of the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman church said Henry could not divorce his... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 On May 25, 1961, American President John F. Kennedy announced a big goal. He said, "I believe we should go to the moon." His plan was this. Land a man on the moon and return him safely to the earth within 10 years. The goal was... Read more
Practice Makes Genius (Step 4)
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By D.S. Aims ReadOasis Step 4 Tiger Woods started playing golf when he was two years old. Tiger was a mere toddler when his father began training him to become a great golfer. As a boy, baseball phenomenon Ichiro Suzuki practiced with his father every day. The practice sessions... Read more
Henry Ward Beecher, Friend of Slaves (Step 3)
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ReadOasis Step 3 On February 5, 1860, a strange slave auction was held. The place was Plymouth Church in Brooklyn, New York. But this auction was backwards. Church members were buying the freedom of a real slave. On that day, the church raised $900, and they purchased a slave... Read more
Gregor Mendel: Father of Genetics
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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
ReadOasis Step 2 Most people do not know the name Alse Young. She lived in America between 1600 and 1657. At the time, America was still a part of Britain. But the life and death of Alse Young have an important historical meaning. She was the first person in... Read more
The Wonder of the Taj Mahal
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By Mirah Mayer ReadOasis Step 2 The Taj Mahal is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It was completed around 1649 by the Muslim king Shah Jahan. Over 1,000 elephants and 22,000 workers took 22 years to build it. The Taj Mahal is located in the beautiful... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 On Friday, June 12, Anne woke up at six o'clock in the morning. It was hard for her to control her curiosity because it was her birthday. She waited for as long as she could. And after seven, she went to her father and mother and... Read more
Isaac Albéniz, Genius of Spanish Music
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By Maria Sonora ReadOasis Step 2 Isaac Albéniz (May 29, 1860 - May 18, 1909) was a genius of Spanish music. He gave his first concert when he was four years old. And at the young age of nine, he began his concert career. By age 15, he had... Read more
Richard Wagner, Musician
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ReadOasis Step 2 Richard Wagner was born on May 22, 1813. He was a famous German musician and writer. He wrote operas, or "music dramas." Unlike many writers of opera, he wrote the words and music for all his works. Wagner's music is known for being intense, complex, and... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 In August 2003, electrical power went out in a large part of North America. Ten million people in Ontario, Canada, lost power. And forty-five million people in eight U.S. states had their lights go out. Eleven deaths were related to this event. It was one of... Read more
Miles Davis, Jazz Legend
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ReadOasis Step 2 Miles Davis (May 26, 1926 – September 28, 1991) was one of the most important musicians of the twentieth century. He helped to develop many styles of modern jazz music. These styles include cool jazz and jazz fusion. Cool jazz has a calm, relaxed, and smooth... Read more
Jesse James: Robber or Robin Hood?
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ReadOasis Step 2 It was just past noon on December 7, 1869. Two brothers walked into a bank in Gallatin, Missouri. Their names were Frank and Jesse James. One of them, maybe Jesse, walked up to the bank clerk and asked to exchange a $100 bill. The bank clerk... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Joan of Arc is a national heroine of France. She was born to a poor family in eastern France during the Hundred Years War. This war was actually a series of wars between 1337 and 1453. During this violent period, English kings tried to control France.... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Rachel Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist and nature writer. She started her career working for the government. She worked to take care of fish, animals, and the environment. But in the 1950s, she became a full-time nature writer.... Read more
I See You — Avatar
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ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) Your name is Jake. You are a soldier. Since you lost the feeling in your legs, life has been awkward. But you got used to it. And when your brother died, your heart stopped feeling some, too. "Get used to it," you think. But... Read more
Photo Art: Composition (1 in a Series)
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ReadOasis Step 2 Cameras and photos are everywhere today. For example, Flickr is a photo sharing site. People put thousands of photos on Flickr every minute. And some of these photos are excellent. The photographer Ansel Adams once said this. "You don't take a photograph, you make it." This... 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
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