K-5 Program
The Blazer Virtual Academy (BVA) is an online program using courses for our K-5 learners through Accelerate Education. Through the Virtual Academy, the Daniel Boone Area School District offers numerous online courses to satisfy student needs and specific situations. Students may choose to take their courses online, in our brick and mortar school, or in any combination of the two.
Accelerate Education provides a high quality, accredited online program for grades K-5. The online courses are custom-designed by teams of curriculum experts to engage students in a multi-dimensional learning experience. Rich in scope and sequence, the proprietary lesson plans are designed for student mastery and tailored to diverse learning styles. The courses include web-based curriculum, highly qualified teachers, and a proprietary technology platform specifically designed for elementary school education (grades K-5). Accelerate Education allows students in grades K-5 to experience a flexibility of asynchronous and optional synchronous learning that the traditional, structured classroom environment cannot offer.
Curriculum Overview
The curriculum brings lessons to life with a rich mixture of online and offline teaching tools, including interactive animations, award-winning printed books with beautiful illustrations and narrative, videos, and materials for hands-on experiments. In addition, lesson plans for each subject are integrated, so your child may be reading literature from the same time period as the art or history lesson he or she is studying.
Lessons are followed by assessments, so you can be sure that your child has mastered a particular area before moving on. Our individualized approach means your child can go as fast or slow as needed. The online assessments are integrated with the planning and progress tools, making it easy to find the right pace by subject and to stay on track.
English Language Arts
The curriculum for Language Arts/English develops important reading and writing skills as your child moves through the stages of learning to read and reading to learn. We reinforce phonics, literature, language skills and spelling lessons through classic works and the writing process. Students are also prepared for standardized tests in language skills and reading comprehension.
Science
The curriculum for Science promotes hands-on learning experiences and the systematic study of scientific terms and concepts. Students perform experiments to learn scientific principles and receive guided instruction in important scientific concepts. Accelerate Education promotes curiosity and analytic skills with real-world examples of scientific and technological advances.
Math
The curriculum for Math strengthens fundamental skills mastery through critical thinking and problem-solving. Your child will see mathematical concepts presented in understandable concrete realities. Basic skills are reinforced through regular practice and review. Concepts are clarified through the use of online games and animations while challenging problems help develop critical thinking skills.
Social Studies
Beginning in Kindergarten, the curriculum for Social Studies takes your child on a tour of the seven continents and re-tells American History and World History through the life stories of famous Americans and world leaders. At each grade level, your child engages in lessons of different countries, cultures and eras.
Non-Core Subjects (Music, Art, Technology, Health, & PE)
In addition to their core subject areas, K-5 students can choose 2 courses per semester of high interest to them, including grade-level appropriate investigations into music, art, technology (keyboarding, block coding, etc.), health, and physical education.