Ariadne Zitsos is the founder and lead consultant at Thread. As an artist, teacher, and consummate learner, she brings a unique point of view to any project. She holds a Master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Vanderbilt University, and a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Virginia Tech. Her award-winning curriculum written for the Country Music Hall of Fame, “Words & Music: Teaching Language Arts through Lyric Writing,” exemplifies her creative, interdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning. She believes in the power of collaboration, and approaches each project with an openness to its past and a great imagination for its future.
azitsos@gmail.com
http://followathread.com
1031 Westchester Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28205
Mecklenburg
7047569511
This residency uses the creative act of songwriting to teach literacy standards in Reading, Writing, and Speaking/Listening specifically for schools with high ESL populations. Each session will include individual writing, creative group work, and close reading of text passages. Students will read and write in both their native language and in English in order to build their vocabulary, fluency, and competency in English. Activities are linked to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study, are designed to be academically rigorous, and include assessments to monitor student learning.
With a focus on easing the middle school transition and increasing the high school graduation rate, this residency also gives students important tools for self-reflection and self-expression that will help allay some of the fears, anxieties and frustrations of being a teenager. Furthermore, the individual and group activities involved in writing and sharing song lyrics help students to connect with their own experiences and the experiences of their peers in new ways, and disrupt their usual patterns of thinking and relating.
Ariadne Zitsos
7047569511
azitsos@gmail.com
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are preferred.
10am-2pm
Smartboard preferred but not required, speakers for playing recorded music, students need notebooks and writing utensils.
Classroom.
$1500/5 session residency for 1 class, $2000/5 session residency for multiple classes, or $400/1 class session; please reach out if you need to negotiate the price.
CCR Anchor Standard R.2 – Determine central themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas (in our case, we do this through analysis of lyrics to well-known songs).
CCR Anchor Standard R.9 – Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take (again, this happens through analysis, both of well-known lyrics and of the students’ own lyrics).
CCR Anchor Standard SL.1 – Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively (this standard is at the heart of what we do – students in these residencies get to work together on a variety of creative tasks, which helps them appreciate each others’ strengths and competencies in new ways).
K.CR.1 Understand global, interdisciplinary, and 21st century connections with music (this residency explores the very strong connection between literacy and music).
K.CR.1.2 Recognize the relationships between music and concepts from other areas (music is used as the text in which students will apply and practice their literary knowledge such as finding the theme, close reading, and citing the text to support their ideas).
K.MR.1.3 Recognize that music is performed in a variety of settings and for a variety of purposes (by taking a close look at songs and lyrics, students will begin thinking of the purposes behind the songs they listen to on a daily basis. They will begin to see music as a strong way to influence the thinking of the listener).
If cancellations occur more than 14 days in advance, there will be a flat fee cancellation charge of $50. If cancellation occurs less than 14 days in advance, we will charge 25% of the total agreed cost of the residency.