Dream Flag News Archive
Cynwyd Elementary--Dream Flag Podcast
3/26/09
Fifth graders from Cynwyd Elementary
School in Bala Cynwyd, PA recently
posted their weekly school podcast
featuring The Dream Flag Project. It
includes poems read by Cynwyd students
and an interview with Jeff Harlan,
co-founder of The Dream Flag Project.
Check out the Cynwyd dream spirit!
Follow the link (or click the pic) and
hit the play button.
Go To Cynwyd Dream Flag Podcast
San Francisco Region Page Up
3/26/09
Schools in driving distance of San
Francisco are celebrating Dream Flags
this year on April 25th. Check out this
page with all the details and other
items related to the area. Welcome, San
Francisco, to Regional Dream Flag
Celebrations!!
San Francisco
Region Page
Philadelphia Region Page Up
3/4/09
If you're in the Philadelphia region,
check out the new Philadelphia Region
page on our site. It has lots of details
on the April 18th Dream Flag
Celebration, local Dream Flag news, and
a listing of regional schools you could
contact for connections.
Philadelphia
Region Page
Build a Bridge with Dream Flag
Extensions
Dream Flag Extensions 2009
2/18/09
Dream Flag teachers have been creating
bridges between schools since the
project first started six years ago.
This year we have three projects to help
make this happen: a Multi-School Dream
Flag Banner, an Write-A-Verse Project
for "The Dream Flag Song," and a
survey-driven "match.com" for pairing
Dream Flag schools to collaborate with
each other! Check out all of the details
at Dream Flag Extensions 2009. Sign up
by March 4 to join in with one or more
of these ways to share the dreams.
Dream Flag Extensions 2009
Dreams Connect at Teacher Workshop
Check out "Virtual" Workshop . . .
2/12/09
Dream Flag Project educators from all
around Philadelphia gathered at The
Philadelphia School on Saturday,
February 7, from 10-1 to share ideas,
information, and inspiration about Dream
Flags.
Check out the "virtual" workshop with
all of the handouts and pictures of some
flags on display along with a general
description.
Photos --
Flags --
Handouts --
Article
Dreams Are Flying From Nepal
2/2/09
In
December, a box full of white cloth,
black Sharpie markers, watercolors,
rope, thread, and needles, was shipped
off to the Peter Moran of the U.S.
Educational Foundation in Katmandu,
Nepal. A few days later, Pete emailed,
"Very auspicious circumstances.... I had
tried to reach Gyatso-la to no avail,
and was walking down the street in
Thamel yesterday and ran into him!"
more
. . .
Full
Story
Ideas
for the First Week:
Happy 107th Langston Hughes!
1/26/09
February 1st, the 107th birthday of
Langston Hughes and the "official" start
of the 2009 Dream Flag Project is just
around the corner. You can make your
Dream Flags any time before April, but
many groups like to honor Hughes and
start near this date (on a Sunday this
year.) This web resource is full of
ideas and information to begin a
wonderful year of dreaming together. . .
.Let's go!
Ideas for the First Week
MLK Dream Flags in Connecticut!
1/15/09
Brunswick school for boys is celebrating
Martin Luther King day as their middle
and lower
school students share the Dream Flags
they've in a Martin Luther King assembly
program--about 470 altogether! Check out the link (way at the
bottom) to their mention in the local
Greenwich newspaper.
Greenwich-Post.com Article
(Please send news of your school's Dream
Flag activities to us at
dreamflags@agnesirwin.org. )
Good Price on Hughes
Anthology
01/09/09
Just wanted to let you know that
you can get copies of The
Dream Keeper and Other Poems
by Langston Hughes for $3.98
right now at
www.salebooks.com .
Here's the direct link.
Philadelphia Area Dream Flag
Workshop Set for Sat., Feb. 7,
2009
1/6/09
All
Dream Flag teachers are invited
to benefit from a regional Dream
Flag Teacher workshop to be held
on Saturday, February 7th, from
10 to 1, hosted at The
Philadelphia School (25th and
Lombard) in Center City,
Philadelphia. This will be free
and qualifies for Act 48 credit
to those who attend. We'll post
everything we can on the site so
all teaches can get the sights,
sounds, and useful details about
what happens.
Check
out last year's workshop.
More information and to sign up.
Dream Flag Installation at
Philadelphia International
Airport!
10/30/08
click image to
enlarge
On Monday, November 17th, an
exhibition of Dream Flags at the
Philadelphia International
Airport will open. It will run
for sixth months and is free,
open to the public, and does not
require going through airport
security.
Sixty-four framed Dream Flags
will be exhibited, created by
students from Louisiana, New
Jersey, Oregon, Florida,
California, New York, Texas,
Maryland, Delaware and from
sixteen Philadelphia area schools.
The exhibit is organized
by Leah Douglas, Director of Art
in the Airport, in collaboration
with Sandy Crow of The Dream
Flag Project.
Opening Video (2.5 min.
Quicktime)
(11/17/08)
Dream Flag Message Spreads to
Nepal . . .
10/30/08
Professor Sienna
Craig presents a Dream Flag
T-shirt to Gyaso Bista, noted
Nepalese healer. (click for
enlargement)
On a trek
in Napal this past summer,
Philadelphia composer (and
longtime friend of The Dreamflag
Project) Andrea Clearfield
shared The Dream Flag Project
with Dartmouth professor of
anthropology Sienna Craig.
Professor Craig's longstanding
connections in Nepal and
interest in The Dream Flag
Project has led to discussions
about possible collaboration
with schools in Kathmandu. There
will also be a Philadelphia
fundraising event to support
these schools in March. We'll
keep you posted and hope our
dreams cross the ocean!
2009 Dream Flag Invitation
Download Here!
10/10/08
Help make the Dream Flag Project
connect! Here's a download (pdf)
invitation to join the 2008-09
Dream Flag Project. Prints well
in b&w or color. Where to leave
them? In the hands of dreamers!
Also at libraries, museums,
coffee shops, and anywhere you
think interested teachers may
discover.
2008-09 Dream Flags Flyer
(pdf)
International Dream Flag Flyer
(pdf)
Regional Dream Flag Organization
in San Francisco Area Starts!
9/23/08
Kiki Davis, Diversity and
Inclusion Specialist of Marin
Country Day School, is heading
up a newly organized San
Francisco Bay Area Regional
Dream Flags Project. The idea is
to find and organize area Dream
Flag schools to share poetry and
flags at a regional event next
April. Each year in
Philadelphia, we connect about
35 schools and 2,000 flags. Why
not elsewhere too?
San Francisco area schools can
contact Kiki at
kdavis@mcds.org or
415-945-5135. Also, area schools
can download this flyer:
Bay Area Dream Flags Flyer
(pdf)
Philadelphia Regional Dream Flag
Celebration Date Set for 2009!
9/23/08
We've confirmed with the Kimmel
Center that Saturday, April
18, will be our date for the
Philadelphia regional Dream Flag
Celebration. It's a week after
Easter and after the end of
Passover, so we're in the clear
for holidays!
Dream Flag Come True in Honduras
9/10/08
The Jungle School
Last year, The Jungle School in
La Ceiba, Honduras participated
in The Dream Flag Project thanks
to the sponsorship of the school
Project Learn in Philadelphia
and parent Eve Horowitz.
Recently, Eve reported that
Luzmila, a student at the Jungle
School whose family lives in a
one-room hut with a dirt floor,
is on the way to having her
Dream Flag dream of getting an
education come true. Because of
Eve's work and the work of Dan,
a Candian volunteer at The
Jungle School, Luzmila now can
attend English classes in
LaCeiba on Saturdays, and the
local Rotary Club where Dan
lives in Canada is working on
funding to sponsor Luzmila at
university in Canada when she
graduates form "colegio" (high
school). Dan will return
to LaCeiba in February to help
Luzmila with her English and
prepare for her exams.
Thank you, dreamers!
The Jungle School Web Site
YouTube Video of The Jungle
School
International Reading
Association Teachers Make Dream
Flags in Atlanta.
5/12/08
Gallery of Flags from Atlanta
Conference
Last
week in Atlanta, more than
13,000 teachers gathered for the
annual International Reading
Association convention. Mary Pat
McFarland, Sandy Crow, and Jeff
Harlan were presenters there
with a Dream Flags workshop.
More than 160 attendees
participated in the workshop on
May 6th. They learned about the
work of Dream Flag teachers
everywhere and made their own
flags. (With a full room of 160,
the flags were a challenge to
paint!) The dreams and ideas
flew, and we hope that many more
dreamers will join us in
2008-09.
Gallery of Flags from Atlanta
Conference
Video Highlights of 2008
Philadelphia Dream Flag
Celebration (5 Minutes)4/25/08
On April
19th, representative poets, friends and
families from more than 25
regional schools gathered to celebrate
the dreams from all across The 2008
Dream Flag Project. As a result of this
truly joint effort, we heard more than
50 dream poems and connected more than
2,500 flags around the balconies of the
Kimmel Center. Our special guest, Marjol
Hughes of the Langston Hughes family,
and a citation from Philadelphia's City
Council added even more sparkle to the
day, along with school exhibitions, a
poetry open mike before the celebration,
and help from 40+ event staff members.
It was a beautiful celebration of
spirit, hope, and working together.
(More photos and details coming.)
Hughes Family Member Special Guest at
Philadelphia Dream Flag
Celebration and Featured Speaker at John
Wister.
4/1/08
On April 19
this year, students will read Dream Flag
poems to the hundreds of students,
parents, and friends gathered at the
Kimmel Center and to a member of
Langston Hughes's family. Marjol Collet
will be our special guest. She will be
flying in from her home in Gary Indiana,
thanks to a grant provided by Children
Can Shape the Future. Ms. Collet is the
founder of the Langston Hughes Family
Museum in Gary, and her mother, Margrett
Ann Duncan, was a cousin of Langston Hughes. She
will also be the speaker at an assembly
to be held at John Wister Elementary in
Philadelphia on Friday, April 18th at
1:00. Any schools interested in bringing
students to this even on Friday should
contact Jeff or Sandy at
dreamflags@agnesirwin.org. Help us
welcome Ms. Collet!
Philadelphia International Airport to
Exhibit 2008 Dream Flags!
4/1/08
We
just received word that this year's
Dream Flags will be welcomed as part of
the Youth Art Gallery at Philadelphia's
International Airport. We hope the
messages will reach from Philadelphia to
every airport in the world! More details
on this special exhibit well be posted
as they come in.
>Dream Flags Fly
in AUSTRALIA!
3/18/08
Australia Gallery
Just
recently, we got these awesome photos
from teacher Shawna Sharp who make
helped her sixth graders make these
Dream Flags in Australia! She was at St.
Gertrude's Primary School in Smithfield,
New South Wales, Australia. Now she's
back in Alberta, Canada and her
fortunate students are making Dream
Flags in the sixth grade there. Check
out the Sydney opera house and the
flying dreams. Thank you to Ms. Sharp!
Australian Dream Flags Gallery
>2008 Dream Flag
Tee!!
3/18/08
Flag Line
Tee
Here
it is!!... the long awaited fifth
anniversary fashion statement of 2008:
The 2008 Dream Flag Tee-Shirt! You can
order them now for a Dream Flag
celebration, to spread your dreams in
the neighborhood, or for a dreamy gift
for someone you know. The back has
"Dream Keeper" by Hughes, and the front
labels you as a certified Dreamer. This
year's green color is great for
eco-connections or if you're a little
Irish! (Today is St. Patrick's Day.)
Note: We can only manage group
orders from teachers, not orders from
individual students.
>Order
Form (pdf)
>Order
Form (web)
>Making a Line of Flags Fly
3/10/08
Flag Line Tips
Once you've moved from Dream Flag poems
to making Dream Flags, you're ready to
link them to a line. Here's a resource
page on how to do that, materials you
may need, and simple tips to make it go
smoothly. Once the line is complete,
it's ready to send the dreams out to the
world--what The Dream Flag Project is
all about.
>Putting
Flags on a Line
>Sing Along: The
Dream Flag Song!
3/10/08
We have
a musical setting of "The Dream Keeper,"
the theme poem of our project. Check it
out. If we all learn it, we can sing
together all over the U.S., and wherever
we get together! The recording was made by The
Agnes Irwin School 5th and 6th grade
chorus. Cara Latham directs them and
arranged the song for us! "Bring me all
your dreams . . ."
Recording of Dream Keeper Song
(Mp3)
Music for Dream Keeper Song (pdf)
>Ideas for Flying Flag Art
3/3/08
Flag Art Ideas
This
is a good time to start collecting what
you need for transforming poetry into
beautiful Dream Flags. Here's a sheet on
what to get and how to use it. There are
as many was as Dream Flag schools, but
here are few.
>Art
Ideas for Dream Flags
>Dreaming On-Line!
3/3/08
On-Line Connections
As
your students create their poems, it's
wonderful to share them with others
right away. Here's a sheet on how to
contribute poems to our on-line Poetry
Gallery. We'd love to get poems from all
19 states participating!
>Dreaming
On-Line
>See What's New on the Wiki!
2/27/08
DF Wiki
Ferry
Pass Middle School just posted a few
pictures of their students making flags.
Check 'em out! Add your school page
whenever you have ten minutes. There's
also updates from the Pass the Banner
Schools like
Galway Central School District in
New York. All the lines have left
their first stop and are at least on the
way to the second!
Email us if you are a registered
school and need the password to enter
info. on the Wiki. Also
email us if you need tech help, and
we'll put you in touch with Pete Endriss
who set this up. Thanks, Mr. Endriss!
>Dream
Flags Wiki
>Weaving Words Onto Fabric
2/27/08
words to fabric
While you absolutely don't need to weave
anything, getting the poems onto fabric
for Dream Flags can be a challenge--but
there are many ways to do it. Here are
some resources to help. Also, if you
have a new way (and there always are
many), please email us and let us know.
dreamflags@agnesirwin.org
>Words
to Fabric Resource Page
>Dreaming a Poem onto a Page. . .
2/27/08
poem ideas page
There as many ways to approach writing a
Dream Flag poem as there are Dream Flag
schools, but here's a page with a
collection of ideas that may help get
things started when working with student
poets. Send your idea to
dreamflags@agnesirwin.org or share
them right away on our
Wiki Page.
>Poem
Writing Ideas
>Ideas for Hughes Poetry
2/15/08
Printable sheet of Hughes poetry lessons
ideas
Teaching
students poetry is a challenge for many
of us. Here's a sheet of ideas from The
Dream Flag Project on how to teach some
poems of Langston Hughes. They're all
found in the anthology The Dream
Keeper and Other Poems, but
many can be found on-line as well. Check
it out and send us your ideas to add!
Printable Hughes poetry lesson ideas
>List of Key Dates for 2008 I 2/10/08
Printable list of Dream Flags 2008 Key
Dates
When should the flags be finished? When
do we decide if we can send flags
to the April 19 celebration in
Philadelphia? Check out the key dates
list for these and more.
Printable list of 2008 Key Project Dates
>Dream
Flags and Geography
2008 Dream Flag Sites Map
Help your students know who they're
connecting to with the 2008 Dream Flag
Sites Map. Quick classroom idea for
grades 4+: Print this page and cut up
the schools list on the left. Have each
student pick a school, go to it's site
(most are linked), and gather
information to share with the class.
2008 Dream Flag Sites Map
(pdf)
>Dream
Ideas Fly at Teacher Workshop 2/4/08
Pictures –
Handouts --
Video --Poetry
Website
A week ago on Saturday, teachers from 15
schools in the Philadelphia region
gathered for a first-time Dream Flag
teacher workshop. It was a morning of
inspiration and discovery, and was chock
full of practical ideas.
read more . . .
Quick Links:
Pictures –
Handouts --
Video --Poetry
Website
Ideas for the First Week
>February 1, 2008 On Its Way!--First
Week Ideas 12/15/08
Ideas for the First Week Page
It's just two and a half weeks until the
106th birthday of Langston Hughes and
the official start of the 2008 Dream
Flag Project. Groups can start the
project any time, but many use this
special date to begin. We've got a list
of "First Week Ideas" with resources on
Hughes, ideas for celebrating his
birthday, and lots more. Send us your
own ideas, and we'd love to add them. .
. Ready, Set, Dream!
Ideas for the First Week
>2008
Pass-The-Banner Project
12/15/08
To help celebrate our fifth anniversary
of The Dream Flag Project, we launching
Pass-The-Banner, a multi-school project
for creating and sharing Dream Flag
banners. To learn more about this new
addition, check out the copy of our
invitation letter:
Pass-The-Banner-Invitation
>Philadelphia
Region Dream Flags Teacher Workshop Set
for Jan. 26
12/14/08
Thanks to
the efforts of Mary Pat McFarland and
the Lower Merion School District, we'll
be hosting our first-ever workshop for
teacher participants in The Dream Flag
Project on Saturday, January 26 from
9-11 at Belmont Hills Elementary School
in Bala Cynwyd, PA. We'll be sure to
post ideas and information coming out of
it on this site. Please come if you live
in the region and can make it. See the
attached flyer in PDF format.
Dream Flag Teacsher Workshop
>New
Dream Flags Wiki!
12/10/08
Thanks to Pete Endriss at John Wister
School in Philadelphia, we have a Dream
Flags Wiki share our ideas on the
project as we go along. Pete's already
put in info on what he's learned about
printing Dream Flags and created space
to add lots more information as well.
Check out this new resource! (If you're
an 07-08 participant, you can
email for the password to enter
information. Just identify your school.)
Dream Flags Wiki
>April 19, 2008 Date Set For
Philadelphia
Dream Flag Celebration
12/3/08
On Saturday, April 19, the Philadelphia
Regional Dream Flag Celebration will
take place at Philadelphia's Kimmel
Center for the Performing Arts. The
Celebration itself will be from 12-1:30.
School registration and set-up will
start as early as 10:00. More details to
follow. This will be the fifth
anniversary of The Dream Flag Project
and we hope to celebrate BIG!
Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
>2007-08
Dream Flag Invitation
10/12/07
The Dream Flag Project has grown because
of the way teachers who have done it
shared it with others. Last year that
meant 11,000 students from Florida to
Alaska joined in. Here are flyers to
give to those you think might be
interested in the project. They've got the simple
facts and an easy 1-2-3 of what it's all
about.
Dream Flag Flyer 2007-08-3 per page [pdf]
Dream Flag Flyer 2007-03 -1 per page
[pdf]
>2007
Dream Flags Trip to China
9/24/07
This summer a delegation of teachers and
administrators from the Philadelphia
region went on a tour of new schools in
China--and brought Dream Flags!
Andrew Connally, a longtime volunteer
for the Philadelphia Dream Flag
Celebration, was an official Dream Flags
Ambassador. We hope some dream seeds
were planted!
Click the photos below for enlargements.
>2007
Dream Flags At Work
6/22/07
2007 Dream Flags from Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, Oregon, Texas and Louisiana,
went on exhibition all around
Philadelphia--at the train station,
area hospitals, an arts festival, and
the Phillies baseball stadium! Check out
the pictures in our Share section.
>2007
Dream Flags At Work
>2007
Dreamer Tee Available Now!
Order Form:
Word --
Web (Click to enlarge images.)
5/4/07
If
you'd like to sport the 2007 Dream Flag
Tee Shirt, download this order form for
your school and send it in with a
check. We can only take orders from
schools, not
individuals.
It's a great way to show the world
you're a dreamer, share the words of
Langston Hughes, and invite new dreamers
to join in. Any money made from the tee
shirts goes to helping schools with
Dream Flag materials.
>Dream Flag Tee Order Form:
Web Page Format
Word Doc Format
>Dream
Flag Banner Spans the U.S.
Dream Flag Banner
5/2/07
Check
out this on-line version of our Dream
Flag Banner with flags from PA, AK, GA,
VA, NJ, NY OR, NV, and TX! Click the
small images to see big ones. They're so
beautiful and different--just like the
dreams.
>Dream
Flag Banner
>At 15°
Dream Flags Fly in Alaska
Photo
Gallery
4/25/07
Last
Friday, students in White Mountain,
Alaska, clebrated their Dream
Flags outside in snow and
fifteen
degree weather.
Check
out these great pictures of their
village and fabulous flags.
>Celebration
Photo Gallery
>3,000+ Dreams Connected at Philadelphia
Dream Flag Celebration!
Photo
Gallery
4/23/07
On
Saturday, April 21, hundreds of dreamers
gathered at the
Philadelphia
Kimmel Center
for the 4th
annual
Dream Flag Celebration. Poets from 23
schools read their work with dreamy
musical
improvisation,
and we wrapped the glass enclosed atrium
in about 3,000 flags. Thanks to our
dedicated event staff of 19, everything
ran smoothly. Thanks to the poet
dreamers and their teachers, we all had
a transforming hour and a half of hope
and vision. Check out the pics. More
coming.
>Celebration
Photo Gallery
>900 Dreams Connect at Ferry Pass in
Pensacola, Florida!
News Journal Article
4/16/07
On
April 6th, 900 students at Ferry Pass
Middle School celebrated Dream Flags,
and it brought the school together.
Check out this cool article on in the
Pensacola News Journal. Way to go,
Jamey Jones and everyone at Ferry Pass!
>Pensacola
News Journal Article
>Philadelphia Dream Flag Celebration
Around the Corner
4/11/07
While Dream Flags are being celebrated
in Pensacola, Florida, Marin County,
California, and all around the country,
poets from the Philadelphia region will
gather to read their work and the work
sent in from schools far away. On
Saturday, April 21 from 12-1:30 parents,
students, teachers and friends will
gather under the glass atrium of the
Kimmel Center for Performing Arts. There
will be readings with improvisational
music, singing of The Dream Flag Song,
and the connection of more than 2,000
Dream Flags, wrapping the balconies on
three levels. Come join us in person and
or in spirit. Send poems and pictures.
Let's connect.
>Philadelphia
Kimmel Center
>Video
of Past Celebrations
(requires Windows Media Player)
>More
Dream Poems On-Line
4/11/07
Check out the newly posted posted poems
from at the Poetry Gallery. Send
more--and pics too! They're great.
>Poetry
Gallery
>Making a Line of Flags Fly
3/16/07
Flag Line Tips
Once you've moved from Dream Flag poems
to making Dream Flags, you're ready to
link them to a line. Here's a resource
page on how to do that, materials you
may need, and simple tips to make it go
smoothly. Once the line is complete,
it's ready to send the dreams out to the
world--what The Dream Flag Project is
all about.
>Putting
Flags on a Line
>Just In--New Dream Poems On-Line
3/8/07
Poetry Gallery
Check out these 4th grade Dream Poems
from 4th graders at Penn Valley
Elementary in Narberth, PA. They're
terrific! These are the first poems in
our Poetry Gallery this year. Thanks to
Kevin Bray for sending them! Just scroll
down to Penn Valley and click the 4th
Grade link. If your school has poems to
publish, just send an attached document
to
dreamflags@agenesirwin.org.
(Remember no last names of poets please,
just initials.)
>Penn
Valley in the Poetry Gallery
>Weaving
Words Onto Fabric
3/7/07
words to fabric
While you absolutely don't need to weave
anything, getting the poems onto fabric
for Dream Flags can be a challenge--but
there are many ways to do it. Here are
some resources to help. Also, if you
have a new way (and there always are
many), please email us and let us know.
dreamflags@agnesirwin.org
>Words
to Fabric Resource Page
>Dream
Flags In Denver!
NAIS Workshop
3/7/07
photo gallery
There was a room full of teachers from
Colorado, Hawaii, California and beyond
all making Dream Flags on the conference
room chars last Friday. Jeff and Sandy
did a workshop for attendees of the
National Association of Independent
Schools annual conference last week. The
project met with enthusiasm and also met
the conference goals aimed at developing
a more global community in schools.
Check out the shots Sandy took:
>NAIS
Workshop Photo Gallery
>You Can Kill the Dreamer, But Not The
Dream--Rev. Billy Kyles
One school celebrates
Black History Month with Dream Flags and
Dreamers
3/7/07
shool web site article
The
Shady Hill School in Cambridge, MA
celebrated Black History month with an
assembly and speech by longtime Civil
Rights leader Rev. Billy Kyles, a close
friend of Dr. King. All 400 students in
this K-8 school made Dream Flags that
were strung all across the gym. Rev.
Kyles proclaimed that, "You can kill the
dreamer, but you can't kill the dream!"
surrounded by Dream Flags everywhere.
>Shady
Hill Web Site Article
>Dreaming a Poem onto a Page. . .
2/21/07
poem ideas page
There as many ways to approach writing a
Dream Flag poem as there are Dream Flag
schools, but here's a page with a
collection of ideas that may help get
things started when working with student
poets. Send your idea to
dreamflags@agnesirwin.org and we'll
add it to the list!
>Poem
Writing Ideas
>Working with Hughes Poems. . .
2/13/07
poem activities page
If
you're working with Hughes poetry,
here's a place to start. This printable
page includes many classroom ideas for
teaching the extraordinary musicality
and fun of the poems in the anthology
Dream Keeper and Other Poems by
Langston Hughes. It includes specific
poem titles and activities. If you have
more to share, please
send them and will add them to the
list!
>Hughes
Poem Ideas
>2007
Dream Flag Calendar On-Line!
2/9/07
We
now have an updated Dream Flags
Calendar and list of Key Dates
for the 2007 Dream Flag Project on the
News page! It has suggested pacing for
completing Dream Flags by April
(National Poetry Month) as well as many
details on our National (possibly
International!) Dream Flag Celebration
in Philadelphia on April 21st.
>2007
Dream Flag Project Calendar
>Key Dates
List on News Page
>Happy 105th Birthday, Langston Hughes!
activities and links page
1/31/07
Tomorrow
marks the 105th birthday of Langston
Hughes and the "official" start of the
2007 Dream Flag Project! With more than
7,500 students registered in 16 of the
United States, we're looking to wrap a
great many dreams "in a blue
cloud-cloth" this year. Let's begin. . .
>Activities
for the First Week
>Groups from across America and as far
as China and Nigeria sign up for 2007
Dream Flag Project
1/23/07
Now
with a little more than a week before
the official start of the 2007 Dream
Flag Project on February 1 (the 105th
birthday of Langston Hughes), more than
41 schools from Alaska to Florida to
California to Pennsylvania are signed up
to share hopes and dreams. We also have
new international connections in China
and Nigeria. At present, more than 6,000
students are registered to participate
in this year's project, and more sign up
each day. The broader our dreams, the
stronger the links, so please inviter
your friends to join in!
>Download
one-page Dream Flag Invitation
>Teachers From Across The Country Make
Dream Flags at NCTE conference in
Nashville, TN
pictures
11/26/06
On
November 16th, more than 25 teachers
from New Mexico to Vermont came to learn
about The Dream Flag Project and to make
Dream Flags at the National Council of
Teachers of English annual convention in
Nashville, TN. They made gorgeous flags
which were then displayed in the main
registration area of the conference.
More than 6,000 teachers were in
Nashville, learning and sharing ideas
about how to teach English to students
everywhere. We were so glad to
contribute! Check out the flags. . .
>Picture
Gallery of NCTE Workshop
>Download Dream
Flags Flyers to Share With Friends!
1per page
3 per page
11/13/06
Help spread the message of The Dream
Flag Project! Our project has grown from
60 students to 10,000 students in four
years because caring people recommended
it to other caring people. These
downloadable (pdf) invitations are easy
to print or send as an email attachment.
The one-page invitation is good for an
email attachment or to hand out to
friends. The three-on-a-page invitation
is great if you're going to a conference
or meeting.
>Download
one-page Dream Flag Invitation
>Download
three per page Dream Flag Invitation:
Double-side copy and cut
in thirds.
>
Philadelphia
School District Art Teachers Join Their
Dreams!
10/30/06
On Friday, October 27th, a group of
about 18 Philadelphia School District
art teachers connected their dreams as
they learned about The Dream Flag
Project and created their own dreams in
a workshop led by Jeff Harlan, Charesse
Ford, and John Wister Elementary
principal Donna Smith. Special thanks to
Mrs. Smith for coming to talk to the
teachers about how the project has
worked in her school for the past three
years. More thanks to Tessie Varthas at
the District Office who made the whole
thing happen. Check out the dreams at
work!
>Dreams
At Work: Picture Gallery from the
workshop
>John
Wister Look Who's Dreaming Page
>Look
for Dream Flags at the November National
Council of Teachers of English
Conference
9/15/06
Jeff, Sandy, and Charesse, from The
Agnes Irwin School, will be making a
presentation for the NCTE conference in
Nashville on November 16th. If you're
going to be there, please come say hi!
>Presentation
Description Search for "Dream Flag
Project"
>
Duniway Dream Flag Celebration Makes the
Local Portland Paper!
5/20/06
Duniway Elementary School in Portland,
Oregon participated in The Dream Flag
Project for the first time this year.
Read this on-line article in The Bee
on their participation and school-wide
celebration! Some great pictures.
(Scroll down to near the bottom of the
page to find the article.)
>
Dream
Flags At Work!
5/20/06
Check out these new pictures of Dream
Flags At Work--on exhibition in some
public places around Philadelphia!
>
Greenwood School's Dream Flag
Celebration Report and Video!
5/20/06
First graders at Greenwood Elementary
School in Kennett Square, PA not only
participated in The Dream Flag
Celebration at the Kimmel Center, they
had their own all-school celebration and
made this web page and QuickTime video
(bottom of their page)! Check it out.
>
Get Inspired with Poems and Pics
5/8/06
Take a look at the really cool video
created by the Wister School in the
Germantown area of Philadelphia. It has
recordings of students reading their
poems with great shots of the flags and
inspirational music!
Wister School Students Inspire
Also check out the great stuff
sent from The Benjamin School in North
Palm Beach, Florida. They had a
school-wide Dream Flag Celebration on
April 21 with all 620 of their Dream
Flags outside! You can see some
pictures, some flags, and their famous
Dream Band on their Look Who's Dreaming
page.
Duniway School Pics, Flags, and Video!
>
Dreamer T Shirt Order Form
4/18/06
To get 2006 Dream Flag Project t-shirts,
the teacher from a Dream Flag School can
fill out and send in this order!
Word Document Order Form
Web Page Order Form
>
Video:
2,000+ Flags Connect!
4/24/06
More to come, but check out this
50-second video of connection and hope
from Philadelphia!
(windows
media player for Mac)
>
Dream
Flags in Hiroshima
4/24/06
Check out this
email from a Dream Flag teacher in
Japan!
>
Check
out The Dream Band!
4/18/06
From The Benjamin School in North Palm
Beach, Florida. . . their Dream Band
plays "The Dream Flag Song." Wow!
>
See
Where Our Dreams Will Go!
4/11/06
After
our Dream Flag Celebration at the Kimmel
Center on April 22, we've got
exhibitions of Dream Flags going up all
over the Philadelphia region! Our latest
is the Cira Center, the newest office
tower in Philadelphia with it's glass
bridge over to 30th Street Station.
Check out the complete listing . . .
Complete Listing of Dream Flag
Exhibition Sites
>
Kimmel Coming Right UP
4/11/06
With the Kimmel Center Dream Flag
Celebration around the corner, we
thought we should repost the tips and
reminders page. If you're able to
attend, check this out:
Kimmel Center Tips and Reminders
>
Check
Out New Pics and Poems
4/3/06
Take a look at our site to see new
sights and sounds from Dream Flag
schools. Here's what's just up:
From the Duniway School in
Portland, Oregon:
proud poets and their flags!
From the John Wister School in
the Germantown area of Philadelphia:
Pictures of a few of their 306 Dream
Flag Poets; actual
poems from five classrooms; a
selection of bright and moving
actual Dream Flags
From the Agnes Irwin School:
Gallery of pictures including poets
and their flags, students creating their
Dream Flags, the Dream Flag button crew,
and sharing the 6th grade Flags at the
grade level celebration.
Please send more!
>
Revised Due Date for International Flags
Line!
Dream
Flag teacher Sue Cannon will take an
all-schools Dream Flag line to China and
Japan this spring where she will be
doing conferences on peace making. ALL
participant groups this year are invited
to contribute 2 flags. The revised due
date for the flags is March 15.
(It was March 1.) We hope this
means more people can join in! See the
About page
for our mailing address.
>
April
22 Celebration Coming Up!
~why go and what to know~
3/17/06
Our
students are creating wonderful poems
made even more spectacular from their
art work. Now the 2006 Dream Flag
Celebration in Philadelphia is coming up
on April 22-- an opportunity to share
this work and show our students how far
their dreams can reach. If you're close
enough to come, here's what you need to
know about why it's a great way to spend
that Saturday along with tips and
resources to make it the best day
possible for your students.
APRIL 22: why go and what to know
>
Check
New Postings on "Look Who's Dreaming"
3/14/06
We're
up to 11 postings! (Everything we got is
up!) Check out who's dreaming in Dallas,
Atlanta, Grand Coteau, Germantown,
Broomall, Rosemont, and more . . .
Look Who's Dreaming
>
Sharing Dreams On-Line
3/13/06
Last
year we started a
Gallery of Poems--Dream Flag poems
on-line. It's easy to have your
students' work here as well. Here's how:
Putting Dream Flag Poems On-Line
>
Putting Dream Flags On A Line
3/13/06
Perhaps
the most exciting stage of the project
is when the flags "don't live alone" any
more and get connected in Dream Flag
Lines. Here are some tips for that
process and some important reminders:
Making A Dream Flag Line
>
Decorating the Dreams
3/13/06
Once
student dream poems are off the paper
and on to fabric, the exciting stage of
decoration comes in. Here are some tips
on doing this creatively and simply:
Decoratig Dream Flags
>
Blog
In And Let's Talk Dream Flags
3/2/06
Since
the best way to get ideas and advice is
usually from colleagues, we've set up a
Dream Flags blog site where you can
write about your questions what you're
doing and get feedback from anyone using
our blog. The web site is
http://www.xanga.com/dreamflags
Let's see how it works . .
Dream Flags Blog
>
Connecting Dreams Video
2/27/06
With
video clips of Dream from all over and
the voices of Dream Flag poets , this
six-minute video tries to capture the
power and excitement of connecting the
dreams. Great to explain what it's
all about in a visual way. Also linked
to our About page.
Dream Flag Streaming Video
(wmv file--2MB)
Macintosh viewer for wmv files
>
Sing Along: The
Dream Flag Song!
2/24/06
We have
a musical setting of "The Dream Keeper,"
the theme poem of our project. Check it
out. If we all learn it, we can sing
together all over the U.S., and wherever
we get together! The recording is by The
Agnes Irwin School 5th and 6th grade
chorus. Cara Latham directs them and
arranged the song for us! "Bring me all
your dreams . . ."
Recording of Dream Keeper Song
(Mp3)
Music for Dream Keeper Song (pdf)
>
Upcoming Calendar Dates
2/21/06
While
each school needs to find its own pace
to complete flags by April 1 (and some
have already completed them), we have
suggested steps to get there without a
rush. This week (3/20-24) is a
good one for writing the poems. (See
below for ideas.) It's also a good time
to think about participation in the
April 22nd Dream Flag Celebration in
Philadelphia--whether by sending poets
or poems. Next week
(3/27-4/3) is good for putting flags on
fabric. (See above for ideas.) It's also
a good time to start to inform parents
if you plan to send poets to the April
22nd Dream Flag Celebration. For
more calendar information, please see
our Dream Flags calendar.
Dream
Flag Calendar
>
Moving Dreams Off The Page
2/21/06
With
March almost upon us, some schools are
moving into the fun-filled process of
taking a poem and making it fly--into a
Dream flag. Here's a resource for ideas
on getting the poems onto fabric.
Fabric Ideas
>
Ideas for Writing Dream Poems
2/14/06
Each
group will come up with its own way of
introducing the writing of dream
poems for the project, but here is a
collection of ideas from a sampling of
Dream Flag classrooms. Take a look, and
use what fits for your group. If you
have an idea that worked, please share
it with all of us! Email to:
dreamflags@agnesirwin.org
Dream Poem Writing Ideas
>
Look Who's Dreaming in 2006!
Hundreds of students celebrated the
104th Birthday of Langston Hughes on
Wed. as The Dream Flag Project started
in 41 schools and groups in 10 states.
Check out the Current Participant List
(to left), and click on school names to
see school web sites. For participating
teachers, please send in school
info. by Feb. 6. We're working on a new
"Look Who's Dreaming" page for the site!
Look Who's
Dreaming Preview
2/6/06
>
Activity Ideas for Hughes
Poems
Here
are some classroom ideas for eleven poems found in the anthology The Dream
Keeper by Langston Hughes. Most of
these are geared for upper elementary or middle
school students. You may find may find these
poems on-line as well.
(Click book image for Amazon listing of
title.)
Hughes Poem Ideas
2/6/006
>
Advance Planning Details
for Kimmel Center Event Now Posted
The
2006 Dream Flag Celebration at
Philadelphia's Kimmel Center is planned
for April 22, 2006. Schools needing
event details for advanced planning, can
now find them on the project calendar
under News.
Kimmel Event Details
2/2/06
> On
the 104th Birthday of Langston Hughes. .
. Dream Flags In CHINA!
Today,
on the official start of the 2006 Dream
Flag Project, 6th grade English teacher
Sue Cannon told us about Dream Flags in
China! Last summer, Sue brought her
students' Dream Flags to China. She said
the middle school students there
couldn't stop touching them and reading
them! See what came out of this on Sue's
amazing web site for learning about
China--Dream Flags from Chinese students
and teachers!
Dream Flags from China!
Sue's China Web Site 2/1/06
>
Here We Go! . . . Week #1!
This
Wednesday, February 1 is our official
start date for the 2006 Dream Flag
Project! With 37 participating schools
and groups from Pennsylvania to Texas to
Oregon to Florida to DC to California to
Louisiana . . . we're ready to connect
and wrap our world "in a blue
cloud-cloth" like never before! Here's a
page with resources for getting started.
Please send YOUR ideas (and pictures!)
so we can share them.
Ideas for the First Week
1/30/06
>
Count Down To 104! . . .
Here we go . . .
Langston Hughes was born on February 1,
1902. Let's celebrate his 104th
birthday next Wednesday with gifts to
Langston Hughes! It's the official start
date for the 2006 Dream Flag Project!
Memorize, illustrate, or have cupcakes
and candles! (Maybe not 104.) We've got
a list of books and web sites to start
with--more on the Create page. And
please send us YOUR resources to share
for 104 years of dreaming. . .
Printable Resource Page
Create Page 1/24/06
>
Dreaming From Portland to
Palm Beach!
As the
project is about to get going with the
104th birthday of Langston Hughes on
Feb. 1, 2006, we're lucky to have
schools from all over working together.
Welcome our first school from Portland,
Oregon--Duniway
Elementary School,
and our first school in Palm Beach,
Florida,
The Benjamin School.
You can see the current list on our News
Page. Please invite your friends. The
more dreams, the stronger they all
become. . . .
News 1/12/06
>
New Web Stuff: About,
& Dream Flag Gallery
We
redid the "About" page on our web site
to quickly tell what The Dream Flag
Project is, how it started, and how it
is run--a good spot to send people
thinking of joining in, or to explain it
to others in your school. Hope it's
helpful. We also added a Dream Flag
Gallery section on the "Share" page.
Small now, but it can grow!
About The
Dream Flag Project.
Dream
Flag Gallery 1/08/06
>
Flags from Dallas!
Look at
these beautiful flags created by
teachers from schools across the U.S. at
the 2005 NAIS People of Color Conference
in Dallas. They made these at our
workshop--all in less than 90 minutes!
Dreams From Dallas.
1/02/06
>
Detailed Calendar for
2006 Dream Flag Project
We just
posted a calendar that starts Jan. 15
and goes to May 20th--with week-by-week
suggestions for pacing your Dream Flag
Project activities along with all of the
deadlines we need to meet in order to
bring our dreams together. Support
information will be posted for each step
as we go along. . .
2006 Dream Flag Project Calendar
1/02/06
There's a permanent link
to this in the Dates & Details section
of this site.
>
Important Dates
Check out the current listing of
important dates for the 2006 Dream Flag
Project along with an updated list of
schools registered so far on our
News/Details &
Dates page.
12/18/05
>
Dream Flag Article
First
grade teacher Andrea Smith at
Greenwood School in Knnett Square,
PA is having an article published in
The Journal of Teaching Writing.
Her classes have participated in the
project for the past two years and have
resulted in some incredible poetry.
Congratulations, Andrea! (and sorry we
didn't get this news posted earlier.)12/18/05
>
Dream Flags in Dallas
Dream
Flags went to Dallas Texas for a
presentation to teachers from all over
the U.S. at the annual National
Association of Independent School
People of Color Conference.
We
got many great ideas and enthusiastic
responses from teachers who made their
own
Dream Flags at the conference. Check out
the pics. (Click to enlarge.)
More flags coming later. . .
12/18/05
11/18/06
>
Registration is now open for the 2006
Dream Flag Project, and schools are beginning to
sign up. Please let us know by January 15th if
you're planning to participate. Schools signed
up in the first week: The Agnes Irwin School,
6th & 1st grade (Rosemont, PA), Abington Friends
School, 6th grade (Abington, PA), Loomis School,
grades 1-5(?) (Broomall, PA), French
International School, 6-8th grade (Merion, PA),
The Haverford School, 1st grade (Haverford, PA).
11/18/06
>
Helene Duckett at the Loomis School in
Broomall was successful in getting a Rotary Club
grant for the Dream Flag Project at her school.
Congratulations, Helene! She sent us her letter,
and the process looks doable! Let us know if
you're interested. 11/18/06
>
Looks as if April 22, 2006 will be the
date for our Regional Dream Flag
Celebration at Philadelphia's Kimmel
Center this year. We need final
confirmation from the Kimmel, but it
looks good. 11/18/06
