This summer, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) announced their Best Apps for Teaching and Learning 2017. The apps encourage qualities such as creativity and collaboration, and encourage discovery and curiosity.

The app Disaster Detector from Smithsonian Institution “teaches players how to analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and how to implement tools to mitigate the effects of those disasters.” Students work to protect the citizens of the town of Smithsonville by predicting and preparing for natural disasters.

Level: Middle School
Platform: iOS and Android
Cost: FREE

On the app’s website, you can find 6-8th grade level curriculum to use in the classroom, as well as some resources specifically for Earth and Space Science. PBS Learning Media has a quick description of the app and how it incorporates certain Educational Standards. Blogger Larry Ferlazzo who specializes in ELL/ESL websites writes in this post that the app looks to be accessible to ELL students and “would be an excellent game for students to play who are learning about natural disasters.”

The Smithsonian Science Education Center, which developed the Disaster Detector app, has their own YouTube channel, which you can find here. Watch their quick intro video below: