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The Magic of Hidden Culture
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
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 Grammar of Jokes
ReadOasis Step 2 Mr. Jones stood in front of his English class. The students looked sleepy and bored, so Mr. Jones decided to open with an interesting story. He told the students a famous joke, and here is what happened?    The Joke. Two older couples ate dinner together. After... Read more
The Good Speaker’s Secret
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
Country Music is Storytelling
One day, Johnny Cash took the stage. He smiled wide. His black clothes shined. He said, "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash." He picked up his guitar. He began to sing. His voice was deep, like a river's flow. The song was about a man. The man was in prison. The... Read more
Are You a Good Listener?
ReadOasis Step 2 Sue closed the car door. She looked down at her feet. And she started to cry. Tears flowed down her face. Jim said, "What's the matter?" As she cried, Sue said, "You hurt my feelings. You made a joke about me. And you did it in... Read more
Do You Know How Your Body Talks?
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
The Trouble with Ken’s Horse
ReadOasis Step 2 Ken walked on the green grass behind his house. He looked up and saw Bella, his beautiful horse. Bella's coat shone bright in the afternoon sun. Ken touched Bella's face. "Hi girl," he said. And then Ken held up a shiny, red apple. Bella wanted to... Read more
The Book of Knowledge
ReadOasis Step 2 Tim opened the door and left his house. The sky was red, almost dark. But, Tim wanted to walk in the forest. As he walked, he saw something under a tree. It was a book! He saw gold letters on the cover. Tim read them aloud:... Read more
The Death of Bach and His Music
ReadOasis Step 2 Johann looked at the piece of music. But he just saw clouds of dark marks on a page. He couldn't see the notes. He needed help. So, he asked a famous doctor to fix his eyes. The doctor's name was John Taylor. But Johann did not... Read more
Easter Story
ReadOasis Step 2 These were the most difficult days of their lives. Their eyes were red and dry. These women had cried out all their tears. He was their leader and teacher. He was their best friend. He changed their lives and made their world new again. He gave... Read more
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
Born a Businessman (Step 2)
ReadOasis Step 2 In 1966, Richard was 16 years old. He was a student, but he didn't like the way he was taught in school. He wanted to change his world, and he was going to do something about it. He decided to create a magazine that was for... Read more
Master of Words: Bob Dylan (Part 1)
ReadOasis Step 2 It was January 1961. In the cold north of Minnesota, a young man of 19 years packed his bags. He was going to New York City. By car, the trip would take over 18 hours. And he was travelling by his thumb. In other words, he... Read more
El Greco: Genius of Spanish Art
ReadOasis Step 2(Part 1) El Expolio by El Greco El Greco wanted to be a great artist. (His name means ?the Greek.?) Like many Greek artists of his time, El Greco moved to Venice, Italy. Venice was alive with cultural change, achievement, and art during a period of time... Read more
The Meaning of Haiku
ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) An old man is walking along a rocky river bed. He is a traveller, but he is carrying only a few things. He can hear the songs of birds and the breath of the wind. The sound of the River Fuji is clear in... Read more
Wishes
By Sara TeasdaleReadOasis Step 2 I wish for such a lot of thingsThat never will come true--And yet I want them all so muchI think they might, don't you? I want a little kitty-catThat's soft and tame and sweet,And every day I watch and hopeI'll find one in the... Read more
The Gingerbread Man
ReadOasis Step 2 The baker washed his hands and dried them with a towel. Smiling, he looked down at his creation -- a big cookie. The cookie smelled of ginger spice and took the shape of a man. It was steaming hot, just out of the oven. As the... Read more