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12 Rules for Language and Culture Learning
ReadOasis Step 2 Students sometimes don't think about the best ways to study. So, they may lose motivation to learn. And sometimes they fail. But these 12 rules can help you keep motivation and learn more successfully.  1. Build Group Energy.  Class is community. Your effort makes the class... Read more
Emily’s Morning Power Routine
ReadOasis Step 2 Meet Emily. She is always late for school and feels stressed every morning. She needs a solution to her problem. So, Emily came up with a new morning routine. She based her ideas on the work of professors, Andrew Huberman, Jordan Peterson, and Richard Wiseman.  The... Read more
The Magic of 10 Second Breaks
ReadOasis Step 2 Have you ever had trouble learning something new? What can you do to solve this problem? Just take a 10-second break. Then think about nothing. Give yourself a short rest in your learning. Put a short gap in your practice. We call this "The Gap Effect." ... Read more
Freedom of Speech
ReadOasis Step 3 "I shall resign the Presidency effective at noon tomorrow. Vice President Ford will be sworn in as President at that hour in this office." These words were spoken by President Richard Nixon on August 8, 1974 on national television. They came after many months of scandal... Read more
A Big Idea: Critique of Pure Reason
ReadOasis Step 3 By Will Durant (Re-presented in Basic and Essential English) Kant’s Critique is not a criticism, but a critical analysis. Kant is not attacking "Pure Reason." He hopes to show its potential. He wants to praise it above knowledge that is not pure and that comes through... Read more
Are Lectures Effective? (Step 3)
ReadOasis Step 3 The professor stood in front of the class. He put his notes on a tall stand. The stand was in the middle of the room, and the professor could move around behind it. As he faced the class, there were many windows on his right. On... Read more
Why Study History?
By Cana Short ReadOasis Step 2 Why should we study history? Why should we learn about the past? What does history have to do with our lives today? These are questions that many people have about history. And it's okay to ask them. Questions like these bother a lot... Read more
Rules for Your Working Brain (Step 2)
ReadOasis Step 2 The bell rings. Students close their books and start packing their bags. Raising his voice, Professor Jones says, “Remember to read Chapter 6 before next class, and your first report is due in 3 days!” Some students groan. Mar y hurries back to her room. She’s... Read more
TOEFL and IELTS
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?
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
The Honest Truth About Irony
ReadOasis Step 3 Creative Commons Photo by Oakley Originals Many of us know the story “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry. A young husband and wife love each other deeply. But they are too poor to buy each other gifts at Christmas. After much thought, the man... Read more
Speak Better with Gestures
ReadOasis Step 2 Julie is visiting the Spanish city of Madrid with her friends. One night, they decide to go to a beautiful restaurant in the Main Plaza of the city. Julie studied Spanish in high school, and she can communicate fairly well. But tonight she is having trouble... Read more
3 Questions for Your New Year’s Resolution (Step 3)
ReadOasis Step 3 At the start of every year, millions of people make new resolutions. This means that they promise themselves to do something differently, or to attempt something new. For example, many people want to lose weight, quit smoking, or change another bad habit. Others want to learn... Read more
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 Simple Recipe for Learning English
ReadOasis Step 1 To learn English, we need words. Most English native speakers know between 12,000 and 20,000 words. Shakespeare used 31,534 words. And he probably knew more. How many words do you know? Naomi knows 95% of the words in Alice in Wonderland. She understands it without a... Read more
The Reach of English
ReadOasis Step 2 English is a global language. It is the main language in science, business, entertainment, and foreign affairs. There are about 400 million native speakers of English. And maybe one billion people speak it as a second language. English became international mainly through the economic and cultural... Read more
Beauty, Goodness, and Truth
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 associated... Read more
Knowledge and Freedom
ReadOasis Step 1 Be careful of the man who really knows how to be a fool. Alec Fronimites Knowledge is power. Through science, we have learned to fly. We make medicine and build great cities. We use the power of nature. And we fill our cities with energy. Through... Read more
Choosing a College
ReadOasis Step 2Adapted from Mahalo.com Mary and Joe are from Portland, Oregon. They are both sixteen years old, and they have many friends. But when they go to college, they may have to leave their hometown and friends. Mary likes the arts, especially music. And Joe likes English, but... Read more
Moving to Think (Step 4)
By Cielo Vera ReadOasis Step 4 Gillian Lynne could not sit still. She was eight years old now, and her teachers were concerned about her performance at school. Perhaps she had a learning disorder. (Today a psychologist might say that she had attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD, but that... Read more