Henry Ward Beecher, Friend of Slaves (Step 2)
B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsProtectedStep 2StoriesTimes 1
By Max L. Knowles ReadOasis Step 2 On February 5, 1860, a strange thing happened at Plymouth Church in Brooklyn, New York. Church members were not having a “bake sale.” They were having a “slave sale.” But this sale was backwards. Church members were buying the freedom of a... Read more
Every Day I Have the Blues
ArtsB1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsCoursesMusic Step 2AProtectedStep 2Stories
ReadOasis Step 2 Memphis Slim at the Piano Long black fingers were dancing. They were dancing on the white and black keys of the piano. From the comfort of their homes, people watched on their televisions. And they listened to the blue sounds of the piano. The piano player... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Leonardo da Vinci began working on the Mona Lisa in 1503. But he didn't finish it for many years. In 1516, he took the painting from Italy to France. And he probably finished it there in 1519 before he died. Then the King of France bought... Read more
By Jack London ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) The old Indian was sitting in the snow. His name was Koko. He was the old chief of his tribe. Now, all he could do was sit and listen to the others. His eyes were old. He could not see, but... Read more
From Five-Minute Mysteries ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) It was dark outside, but the lights at the Brown household were burning bright. In this usually quiet neighborhood, the Browns were throwing a big and lively party. From the street, passersby could see people standing in the living room, holding... Read more
ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) Long, long ago, there lived a king and queen. They had everything to make them happy. They had servants, lands, gold, and the finest castle. But more than anything, they wanted a child. But they did not have one. Finally, after many years, they... Read more
ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) Once upon a time there lived an old Queen. Her husband had been dead some years, and he left her with one child, a beautiful daughter. When this daughter grew up, she was to be married to a King's son, who lived far away.... Read more
By Sarah Orne Jewett ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) A little girl hurried through the forest. It was a summer evening in June. It was already eight o'clock. The forest was full of shadows. Sally wondered if her grandmother would be angry with her for being so late. Every... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 By W.W. Jacobs (Part 1) Outside the night was cold and wet. But inside the sitting room of the Whites' house, the curtains were shut and the fire burned brightly. Father and son were playing a game of chess. The son always took big risks when... Read more
W.C. Handy: Father of the Blues (Step 3)
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ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) "Then I saw the beauty of primitive music." W.C. Handy, Father of the Blues W.C. Handy at Age 19 W.C. Handy grew up in a small town in Alabama in the southern part of the US. His father was the pastor of a church,... Read more
The Most Famous Not a Protest Song (Step 5)
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ReadOasis Step 5 Protest songs speak out against problems in society. We can hear protest songs at pivotal moments of activism in western history, during the civil rights, anti-war, feminist, labor, and environmental movements. Protest singers have also sung about slave emancipation and women's suffrage. Of the many protest... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 There was a Caliph of Persia whose name was Al Mamoun. He had two sons. He wanted them to be honest and noble men. So he found a wise man to be their teacher. The teacher's name was Al Farra. One day, after their lesson, Al... Read more
An English Fairy Tale ReadOasis Step 3 A long time ago, a woodcutter lived with his wife in a small cottage not far from a great forest. They had seven children -- all boys, and the youngest was the smallest little fellow anyone had ever seen. He was called... Read more
ReadOasis Step 3 Winston is an editor. Every day he works with words. His hands are soft, and he is not strong. He does not do hard physical labor. But his job is challenging and even dangerous. He works for the government of Oceania. Every day, he rewrites history.... Read more
Six Keys to a Healthy Life
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ReadOasis Step 3 Jeanne Calment was a French woman who lived 122 years. She was born in 1875 and died in 1997. Many records verify her age, and they show that she lived longer than any other human being. At age 85, she started to learn the sport of... Read more
Music: Good for Your Ears
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ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) Clive Wearing sits at the piano. He stretches out his hands and fingers. He takes a deep breath. Then he begins to play. His fingers strike the keys, and the piano hammers hit the strings. The strings vibrate in beautiful harmony and precise rhythm.... Read more
ReadOasis Step 3 Angela Duckworth at TED Angela is smart and talented. But those are not her best qualities. In her first year at Harvard University, she took a course in biology. But she failed the first big tests, and she was getting an F in the class. She... Read more
Confucius: An Icon of Chinese Culture
B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsIdeasProtectedStep 4StoriesTop Picks 1
By Max L. Knowles ReadOasis Step 4 (Part 1) The teacher spoke his mind. He told the truth as he saw it, and this apparently offended leaders who had great power. And so, the teacher, whose name was Confucius, was forced into exile. He had to leave the state... Read more
Get Power with Body Language (Step 1)
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ReadOasis Step 1 "Power posing actually causes people to become more powerful." -- Amy Cuddy Amy Cuddy: Wonder Woman Pose (by Thatcher Cook) It was 4:00 A.M, and the sky was black as night. A single car was moving down a long and narrow road. Three young college girls... Read more
ReadOasis Step 3 In his last year of high school, Alan didn't sleep much. Instead, he studied. Sometimes he crammed for exams all night. Sometimes he drank 3 or 4 cans of energy drinks so that he could study more. And he felt the agony of overwork. He got... Read more