Solve the Outbreak

Become a disease detective -- read clues, analyze data, save lives

Learning rating

Community rating

Based on 3 reviews

Privacy rating

Expert evaluation by Common Sense

Grades

8–12

Subjects & Topics

Health & Wellness, Science

Price: Free
Platforms: Android, iPad, Web

Pros: Realistic outbreak scenarios help kids experience health science from the perspective of an actual disease detective; solving mysteries builds critical thinking skills.

Cons: The outbreak scenarios are text-heavy and require a lot of reading; links in app can take users to mature content.

Bottom Line: Solve the Outbreak is a free, engaging resource that teaches kids about disease control and prevention.

Solve the Outbreak would work great in conjunction with a health science or human body unit. It may be particularly useful when teaching a lesson on the immune system. Have students work in small groups to solve each outbreak scenario and keep a running tally of group scores. You can give the group with the highest score an award, such as "Senior Disease Detective Team." As a class, discuss the challenges of solving each scenario and have groups write their own scenarios that their classmates can try to solve. 

Solving mysteries is engaging, and saving lives is rewarding. In Solve the Outbreak, kids get to do both. There are 12 realistic outbreak scenarios to choose from, each with its own clever title. Once kids tap on a scenario, a box pops up that provides the following data: number sick, hospitalizations, deaths, and location. Kids tap the Start button to continue and are presented with a brief overview of the mission. Once they accept the mission, kids have to analyze the scenario using clues, data, and definitions of key vocabulary terms. They must correctly answer a series of questions in order to determine the source of the disease and the best course of action to prevent further illnesses and deaths. Kids earn points as they work through the scenario and can make their way from "Trainee" to "Disease Detective." They can also earn achievements such as "Smarty Pants" for looking up glossary terms and "Clever Clogs" for correctly answering four questions in an outbreak. Social media is integrated in the app, so kids can share their scores and progress. Scenarios can be solved over and over, so multiple players can use the app.

Kids can learn about epidemiology and the method of determining the cause of diseases in a population. Using verbal clues and data displayed in tables and graphs, kids apply critical-thinking skills to analyze information, answer questions, and eventually figure out the source of a disease and how to prevent further illnesses within a population. The outbreak scenarios include tappable key terms that link to an extensive glossary.

Kids can find loads of information to help them learn about epidemiology and what it's like to be a real disease detective. Solving the outbreak scenarios requires some serious problem-solving skills, so kids would be best prepared for success if they have some background knowledge of health science before diving into the detective work.

Learning Rating

Overall Rating
Engagement

The realistic scenarios draw kids in, and the challenge of solving the mystery keeps them engaged.

Pedagogy

Using clues and data to solve problems promotes critical thinking skills. Kids get instant feedback for incorrect answers, which helps them build knowledge and solve similar problems in other outbreak scenarios.

Support

A help feature explains how to play, how scores, badges, and achievements are awarded, and how to start solving outbreaks. Plenty of links to the CDC website offer additional support and information about epidemiology.

Common Sense reviewer

Community Rating

Increases critical thinking and problem solving

Increasing critical thinking and problem solving is part of the skills needed for our students to be successful in school and in their lives. The analysis of data is one of the science practices of the NGSS and common to science classes. If students are having fun they will continue to practice those skills.

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Privacy Rating

Data Safety How safe is this product?

  • Unclear whether this product supports interactions between trusted users.
  • Personal information can be displayed publicly.
  • User-created content is filtered for personal information before being made publicly visible.

Data Rights What rights do I have to the data?

  • Unclear whether users can create or upload content.
  • Unclear whether this product provides processes to access and review user data.
  • Unclear whether this product provides processes to modify data for authorized users.

Ads & Tracking Are there advertisements or tracking?

  • Personal information is not shared for third-party marketing.
  • Unclear whether this product displays traditional or contextual advertisements.
  • Unclear whether this product displays personalised advertising.

Continue reading about this tool's privacy practices, including data collection, sharing, and security.

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