Welcome to Kosciusko County, Indiana!
RULES: No shoes allowed on the map. Please have students remove shoes before walking on the map.
Socks Required. No writing utensils on the map.
Grade Level: K-3
Purpose: To introduce the Kosciusko County Giant Map and Timeline to the students and become familiar
with all of its features: good review of basic map skills.
Indiana Social Studies Standards:
K.3.1: Use words related to location, direction and distance, including, here/there, over/under, left/right,
above/below, forward/backward and between.
1.3.1: Identify the cardinal directions (north, south, east, and west) on maps and globes.
1.3.2: Identify and describe continents, oceans, cities and roads on maps and globes.
1.3.3: Identify and describe the relative locations of places in the school setting.
1.3.4: Identify and describe physical features and human features of the local community including home,
school and neighborhood.
1.3.9: Give examples of natural resources found locally and describe how people in the school and community use these
resources.
2.3.1: Use a compass rose (or the north arrow) to identify cardinal and intermediate directions and to locate
places on maps and places in the classroom, school, and community.
2.3.3: Compare neighborhoods in your community and explain how physical features of the community affect
people living there.
2.3.4: On a map, identify physical features of the local community.
2.3.5: Identify and describe cultural or human features on a map using map symbols.
2.3.7: Identify ways that recreational opportunities influence human activity in the community.
3.3.1: Use labels and symbols to locate and identify physical and political features on a map of the Midwest,
identifying states, major rivers, lakes and the Great Lakes. (County focus as a start.)
3.3.3: Identify the northern, southern, eastern and western hemispheres; cardinal and intermediate directions; and
determine the direction and distance from one place to another. (Compare to north/south/east/west of county)
3.3.4: Explain that regions are areas that have similar physical and cultural characteristics. Identify Indiana and
the local community as part of a specific region.
3.3.5: Observe and describe the physical characteristics of Indiana using words and illustrations and compare them to
the characteristics of neighboring states.
3.3.7: Describe how climate and the physical characteristics of a region affect the vegetation and animal life living there.
Objectives:
 Students will be able to find political and physical features on the map of Kosciusko County
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Students will use the cardinal and intermediate directions to find locations (grade appropriate)
Students will identify the basic parts of a map
Students will become familiar with a timeline
Students will learn at least one historic item from the timeline
Students will better understand the history of their county
Materials Needed:
 globe
 county map of Indiana
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map of the United States and/or world
Kosciusko County Giant Map and Timeline
Procedures:
1. Begin by having students remove their shoes and sit around the southern border of the map. Introduce
the map and timeline… Welcome to the Kosciusko County Giant Map and Timeline. Today you will get
a chance to explore the great county in which you live. You will discover new and interesting places
around our county and the parts of a map as we explore. You will understand some of the history about
our county: people, places, events, industry, resources and much more.
2. Next, allow students a couple minutes to explore the map on their own. Reminding them no running or
sliding on the map for safety. When time is up; have them return to the starting point.
3. Using a globe, show students where to find Indiana on the globe; explaining Indiana is a state within the
country of the United States; on the continent of North America. Next, show them the outline map of the
United States with Indiana highlighted. Explain that Indiana is a state located in the region of the
Midwest of the USA. On a basic county map of Indiana, show the students where their county is within
the state (indicated on the lower portion of the map).
4. Next, group students into six small groups. Have one group begin at a corner (northeast, southeast,
northwest, southwest) and explore the county; have one group begin at each end of the timeline and
explore the events on the timeline … this will require adult (or older student mentors) assistance for
reading purposes. Have them remember at least one item that they thought was interesting about the
map or about the timeline.
Assessment: As a classroom, students will share what they have learned about their county. The teacher, or
adult volunteers or student volunteers, will write the items on a white board, in a computer, or on a large piece
of poster paper.
Helpful Websites:
 http://www.in.gov/legislative/house_republicans/facts.html
 http://www.50states.com/facts/indiana.htm
 http://www.apples4theteacher.com/usa-states/indiana/facts
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