I was looking up online maps the other day for an interactive lesson and found this site called amMaps:
It has some pretty neat examples, like timeline oriented maps that change as you move your curser and maps that focus in on different countries and reveal their capitals or zoom in when you click on them. I could see it being used in history classes and English classes to set up the day’s reading, in math classes to cover stats by country, or in science classes to look at different populations. Best of all, it’s free to download and create your own. 
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Political alliances are agreements or organizations that countries form to further their own individual interests either militarily, culturally, or economically. The main reasons for political alliances are economic, cultural, religious, and military similarities. Ironically, these types of alliances have contributed to war (World War I), but have also led to economic cooperation (NAFTA) and peace keeping efforts (UN). While alliances ensure cooperation and protection for countries within an alliance, they also create the possibility for conflict between competing alliances.
These contrasting characteristics present a relevant debate for whether political alliances are necessary or an unwarranted risk. For typical tenth grade students, political alliances directly affect their everyday lives. For example, the political alliance OPEC has a large role in controlling the price of gas, which will affect students’ driving. Another example is how the United Nations helps promote the safety and peace for all people, including the United States. These and other examples show that political alliances on the global level do affect individuals every day, including tenth grade adolescents. The connection can also be made that everyday choices can impact our lives for better or worse.
