Academics
Academics
Welcome to an overview of academics at Seguin Elementary! Use the tabs on this page to browse each grade level and subject.
This page offers an overview of the exciting learning progression for each grade level. You'll find summaries of the core subjects, as well as specials, Gifted & Talented, and Bilingual/ESL, highlighting the key concepts and skills we're thrilled to introduce your child to. We're looking forward to a year of engaging lessons and meaningful learning experiences.
Kindergarten
. . . where the learning begins!
Come visit kindergarten at Seguin Elementary! You will see active learning in the five classrooms through language activities, word walls, big books, poems, calendar activities, math manipulatives, learning centers, and more. We are very proud of our kindergarten program at Seguin and encourage each of you to stop by for a visit.
Parent Tips
- Be on time to school. Students are late after the 8:10 bell.
- Be at school everyday, unless running a fever or have a contagious infection.
- Read to your child every day.
- Students have homework each week on the focus letters.
- Students need pencils, crayons, scissors and glue at home to complete homework assignments
- Check and sign your child's folder everyday.
- Remove notes and papers that do not need to be returned to school.
- Please put lunch/snack money in your child's account instead of sending money each day.
1st
Seguin first graders are busy every day with a variety of literacy skills. Each day is filled with many opportunities to read: the weekly focus poem, a shared book, guided reading in a small group setting and a sustained silent reading time. One of the goals of the first grade teachers is to have all of their students "fall in love with reading!
First graders are writing, illustrating and publishing their own books in their classrooms. This is an exciting way for them to work together, build their confidence and take pride in their accomplishments. What a creative group they're proving to be!
Science and social studies are integrated into the reading program. The goal is to guide children to apply the skills they learn in reading to the acquisition of knowledge through reading information books, magazines, and children's encyclopedias. This develops their associative skills, as well as the "basic skills." Interest is high because children are naturally curious about the world in which they live.
First graders are being taught to think mathematically and to reason. With lots of "hands on" lessons using a variety of manipulatives, they are learning to see relationships and patterns and to use numbers with confidence to solve problems. They are learning far more than arithmetic; they are delving into measurement, geometry, statistics and probability.
2nd
Our goal is to prepare our students for life's choices and challenges. We will maintain high expectations and challenge students to learn, grow, and achieve to each student's highest possible potential. We will enhance the learning process by fostering an atmosphere of respect, love and dignity.
During the year we will teach our second graders to implement strategies related to problem-solving in math. We will extend their educational experience by focusing on increasing fluency and strengthening reading comprehension skills. Second grade is a year of transition in which the students will become more independent thinkers and learners. This will enable them to have the skills needed to achieve success as they move through the upper grades.
3rd
The third grade at Seguin Elementary is the place to be! Education is student centered. We focus on active learning, research, hands-on activities, and extending thinking skills. Technology and using the internet are a priority. Students are learning word processing skills, Kid Pix, and Power Point presentations, keyboarding, using software such as Math Keys, and curriculum related web sites are an integral part of technology instruction.
Some of the goals that we would like to see the students in third grade accomplish are: have a strong respect for themselves, other students, and authority figures, have self-discipline, learn to be responsible, learn to use time effectively, develop organizational skills, and become confident learners.
4th
Our goal for Elementary fourth grade is to ensure success for each student by providing a supportive and loving environment. We realize that fourth grade is both a vital and transitional time for students. Writing across the curriculum is a priority, and integrating all subjects is our focus. Teaching our students the character traits they will need to survive in today's world and in the future is a daily objective.
5th
The goal of the fifth grade is to provide a secure environment which is conducive to learning and building self esteem. Fifth grade students are developing into responsible, independent learners as they prepare to enter middle school. Problem-solving within math and science is greatly emphasized. Incorporating technology to enhance learning is encouraged both at school and home.
Bilingual/ESL
For elementary students in GPISD, Bilingual/ESL Programs provides a dual language program whose goal is bilingualism, biliteracy, and biculturalism. In this program, we provide one and two-way models, according to the needs of our campuses. In each of the models, the subjects contained in the curriculum are divided between the two languages of instruction, which are Spanish and English. No matter the language of instruction, the focus of the program is to develop knowledge of the necessary content in a way that can be transferred. The uniqueness of these models lies not in the way the subjects are taught, but in the students, who compose the classes.
A los alumnos de primaria en GPISD proveemos un programa de lenguaje dual cuya meta es de ayudar a los alumnos a lograr el domino en hablar, escribir y leer en dos idiomas, y valorar de forma equitativa dos culturas. Este programa se ofrece mediante los modelos de una y de dos vías, de acuerdo con las necesidades de cada campus. En ambos modelos las materias del currículo se dividen entre los dos lenguajes de enseñanza - inglés y español. Independientemente del lenguaje de enseñanza, el enfoque del programa es el desarrollo del conocimiento de la materia de modo que el alumno pueda transferirlo de un idioma al otro. La distinción entre los dos modelos consiste no en la manera en que se presenta la enseñanza, sino en los alumnos que componen las clases.
English
Spanish
One-Way
In a one-way classroom, all the students are from a non-English-speaking background. They are consistently provided with opportunities to acquire English. Beginning students learn to read and write in their native language, and these skills are later transferable to English. The student’s native language is not subtracted as English develops. It continues to be developed, with the end result being that students who complete the program will be proficient readers, writers, and speakers of both languages.
En el salón de una vía, todos los alumnos son de antecedentes de habla no inglesa. De forma consistente se les proveen oportunidades para adquirir el inglés. Los alumnos principiantes aprenden a leer y escribir en su idioma natal, y después pueden transferir estas destrezas al inglés. El desarrollo del idioma natal del alumno no se suspende mientras desarrolla el inglés. La habilidad del lenguaje sigue aumentando en los dos idiomas y el resultado es que al completar el programa entero los alumnos serán competentes en leer, escribir, y hablar los dos idiomas.
Elementary campuses that offer one-way dual language are:
- Austin Environmental Science Academy
- Bowie Fine Arts Academy
- Global Leadership Academy at Barbara Bush Elementary
- Daniels Academy of Science and Math
- Morton Elementary
- Dickinson Montessori Academy
- Eisenhower Elementary
- Garcia Elementary
- Marshall Leadership Academy
- Ochoa STEM Academy
- Rayburn Elementary STEAM Academy
- Seguin Elementary
- Whitt Fine Arts Academy
- Williams Elementary
- De Zavala Environmental Science Academy
Two-Way
In the two-way model, each class is composed of both native English speakers and speakers of other languages. The goal is to have both languages equally represented. Each language group receives initial literacy, reading and writing instruction, in their native language, whether that be English or Spanish. Once students reach 2nd grade, all students receive both English and Spanish literacy equally. For this reason, our Two-Way program cannot accept Opt-in students past 1st semester of 1st grade unless they have a documented Dual Language history. This will ensure students can be successful when they reach second grade literacy in both languages across content areas.
As with the one-way model, the subjects in the curriculum are purposefully divided between the two languages. This arrangement allows students to transfer their knowledge of the subjects from one language to the other. The ultimate goal is the same as for the one-way model: proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking in two languages.
En el modelo Dual de dos vías, cada clase está compuesta tanto por hablantes nativos de inglés como por hablantes de otros idiomas. El objetivo es que ambos idiomas estén igualmente representados. Cada grupo lingüístico recibe instrucción inicial de alfabetización, lectura y escritura en su idioma nativo, ya sea inglés o español. Una vez que los estudiantes llegan al segundo grado, todos los estudiantes reciben alfabetización tanto en inglés como en español por igual. Por esta razón, nuestro programa Dual de dos vías no puede aceptar estudiantes nativos de inglés después del 1er semestre de 1er grado, a menos que tengan un historial documentado de instrucción en un programa de lenguaje dual. Esto garantizará que los estudiantes puedan tener éxito cuando alcancen la alfabetización de segundo grado en ambos idiomas en todas las materias.
Al igual que con el modelo Dual de una vía, las materias del plan de estudios se dividen intencionalmente entre los dos idiomas. Esta división permite a los estudiantes transferir sus conocimientos de las materias de un idioma a otro. El objetivo final es el mismo que el del modelo Dual de una vía: dominio de la lectura, la escritura y el hablar en dos idiomas.
Elementary campuses that offer two-way dual language are:
Las escuelas que ofrecen el programa Dual de dos vías son:
- Mosely Elementary
- Travis World Language Academy
Gifted and Talented
Elementary Gifted students take part in a pull out program in grades 1-5.
The campus Gifted Specialist provides instruction for this regularly scheduled class. Curriculum units at this level are interdisciplinary and based on broad themes.
These units incorporate logical critical and creative thinking skills into the core academic areas of math, reading, science, and social studies. independent research opportunities allow students to investigate specific topics of interest and to develop sophisticated products.
Specials
Kindergarten students are learning about primary and secondary colors.
Vocabulary words: primary and secondary colors
Activity: Students are coloring the color wheel and finding out that red and blue make purple, blue and yellow make green and yellow and red make orange. After completing this assignment they are painting their own fruit color wheel. They are painting a red apple, purple grapes, blue blueberries, green lime, yellow banana, and orange oranges.
First grade students are focusing on the primary and secondary colors.
They will discuss the meaning of primary and secondary colors and how they relate to each other.
Vocabulary words: primary colors, secondary colors, background, foreground, 3-D, 2-D, texture and value.
Activity: Students will be creating a scarecrow using the primary and secondary colors. The students will draw their scarecrow with a black oil pastel. They will then paint color wheel style using only three colors to start with (red, yellow and blue). They paint something on their picture yellow, then red and then blue. After that, I will ask the students how they can make the secondary colors. They will then paint each secondary color in their scarecrow picture.
Second grade students are identifying warm (red, orange and yellow) and cool (blue, green and purple) colors, value: the difference between tint and shade, landscape and seascape.
Vocabulary Words: Warm and Cool colors, seascape, landscape, value, tint and shade.
Activity: Students will draw 3 big fish and 3 small fish, outline the fish in black marker and then paint the big fish with cool colors and small fish with warm colors. Last step they will use blue mixing it with white and then black to give the background value.
Third grade students are learning...
- Optical Illusion style art
- Artists MC Escher, Bridget Riley and Victor Vasarely
- Combining abstraction with realism
- Creating balance between foreground, and background
- Complementary colors (red and green, blue and orange and purple and yellow
Vocabulary words: Optical Illusion, seascape, landscape, complementary colors, foreground, background, texture, and emphasis
Activity: Students are creating an op. illusion art piece using either line or circles on a contrasting background. They selected two complementary colors of construction paper. Then cut basic shapes to make a landscape or seascape out of one of the complementary colors and then glued those pieces to the other color of construction paper.
Fourth grade students are learning how to make tints and shades by adding black or white.
They will use these two colors and make shapes, patterns, and textures.
Vocabulary words: painting, lines, shapes (organic and geometric), patterns, blends, primary and secondary colors, warm and cool colors, complementary colors, color wheel, tints, shades and texture.
Activity: Students are painting two orange circles, two yellow circles and two red circles. They will add white to one of each color and swirl it to make a tint and then add black to the three remaining circles and swirl it to make a shade. After they are finished with this practice sheet they will paint using all complementary colors, tints and shades.
Fifth grade students will discuss the differences between 2-D and 3-D (form), understand organic and geometric shapes, show an awareness of art principles and art elements.
Vocabulary words: organic and geometric shapes, 3-D(form), 2-D, unity, pattern, relief, line and color
Activity: Students are creating patterns repeating colors for unity. Students are creating a 3-D paper relief from a 2-D surface.