«What are the origins of a geographical name?» - new teaching idea on schoolmaps.ch
What does the name of a place mean? Where does it come from, and what was it called in the past? These were the questions addressed by sixth-grade students in the canton of Jura. Their project on toponymy — the study of the origin of geographical names — was documented in a video and published on schoolmaps.ch.
Toponyms as a reflection of local history
Toponyms reflect how local people perceive their surroundings. Place names can be unusual, ambiguous, or multilingual, and their origins are often unclear. The didactic project presented on schoolmaps.ch shows how children approach these questions and become young researchers. The entire project is available as an idea for teaching.
Interdisciplinary education
The project combines geography, history, and linguistics, while also connecting the real and digital worlds. It is an excellent example of how students apply their knowledge in everyday situations and use modern digital tools for scientific purposes.
Between history and the digital world
The students analyse maps of their local surroundings on the federal portal, select interesting geographical names, and then research the history of the chosen place.
They use historical maps on map.geo.admin.ch, including the “Journey through time” function. This allows them to trace when a place first appeared on a map or what it was called in the past.
In conversations with older residents, the young researchers try to uncover the origins of a place name and hear inspiring stories about their neighbourhoods.
New form of teaching support
The 12-minute film Enquête sur la toponymie is aimed at cycles 2 and 3 and supplements the usual worksheets with personal experiences of the teachers involved. The project is based on the Plan d'études romand (PER) but can serve as inspiration for teachers throughout Switzerland.
The video is available in French.