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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
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
The Happiness Class (Step 3)
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
How to Acquire Language (Step 3)
ReadOasis Step 3 How do humans acquire languages? The answer is remarkably simple. All people everywhere acquire languages in the same way. “We acquire languages by understanding messages.” This is called the “comprehension hypothesis,” and it was made famous by the distinguished linguist Dr. Stephen Krashen. I give this... 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
Karl Marx and the Communist World
ReadOasis Step 4 Karl Marx (1818-1883) was a German philosopher, economist, and historian. He wrote mainly about economics and politics, and he is credited as the founder of communism. For Marx, the history of society has been the history of class struggles. Marx attacked capitalism, the economic system where... 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
How to Attain Presentation Zen (Step 3)
By Lyric SmithReadOasis Step 3 PowerPoint is the most popular presentation software in the world today. Over 400 million copies are in use. But there are drawbacks to PowerPoint. It can cause you to oversimplify, and it can prevent you from empathizing and connecting with people. To give excellent... Read more
The Wisdom of Socrates (Step 2)
ReadOasis Step 2By Max L. Knowles The plant was highly poisonous. The man took it and mixed it into a drink. It was a deadly cup of poison. He took the cup into the room where Socrates was waiting. When Socrates saw the man, he said, "Now, good sir,... Read more
Seven Elements of Story Grammar (Step 3)
ReadOasis Step 3(Part 1) Harry glanced at his best friends Ron and Hermione. He was not smiling. He was isolated at his uncle's house for the summer. And Harry's uncle, aunt, and cousin were dreadful. Ron and Hermione stayed with their group of friends, a group that Harry didn't... Read more
Luther and the Storm (Step 2)
ReadOasis Step 2(Part 1) Creative Commons Photo by JohnBailey63 It was a cloudy day in summer. The sun's light lit up the green grass as clouds moved across the sky. The colors of the German countryside danced in the changing light. A soft, cool wind blew through the trees.... Read more
How to Read a Texbook: SQ3R
Reading a textbook isn't the same as reading a novel. Many people find it more difficult. They also find it less interesting. This is probably because they don't have a good reading system. Do you have a good system for reading textbooks? If not, SQ3R is a simple, five-step... Read more
How to Attain Presentation Zen (Step 2)
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
Meaning to Live (Step 2)
ReadOasis Step 2 Viktor had just married Tilly. She was the love of his life. He was a young doctor in Vienna, Austria. And Viktor and Tilly should have expected a bright future together. But Nazi Germany was in control of Austria, and Viktor and Tilly were Jewish. In... Read more
On the Reality of Morals
ReadOasis Step 2 All cultures have morals for good and bad behavior. And people think their morals are real. For example, "stealing is wrong." Even a thief says, "It's wrong to steal from me!" People act like they have a real basis for moral action. They argue about morals... Read more
Are Lectures Effective? (Step 2)
ReadOasis Step 2 The teacher 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 teacher could move around behind it. As he faced the class, there were many windows on his right. On... Read more
Happy Memories
By Dr. Richard WisemanReadOasis Step 2 This exercise is all about re-living happy memories. Research shows that reflecting on what went well yesterday, no matter how trivial the event will make you feel happier. So simply think back about the last 24 hours and focus on what went well.... Read more
The Happiness Class (Step 2)
ReadOasis Step 2 In his last year of high school, Alan didn't sleep much. Instead, he studied. Sometimes he studied all night. Sometimes he drank 3 or 4 cans of energy drinks so that he could study more. And he suffered. He got headaches, back pain, and he became... Read more
The Second Chance
ReadOasis Step 1 Sam woke up when his car flew off the road. He heard the sound of breaking glass. He saw the starry sky. It appeared and disappeared as his car rolled over and over and over.  Then with a loud crash, the car hit a tree. Sam... Read more