Amy Diem
GEO 410
Final Project
Unit 3: Cultural Patterns and Processes
Lesson 1 Title: What’s in A Name?
Objectives: Students will:
1. Define key words of the lesson.
2. Understand the significance of place names in individual states or regions.
3. Research place names.
4. Identify layers of groups (explorers, ethnic, religious, etc.) that settled an area.
5. Make a time line.
6. Give an oral presentation.
7. Evaluate the significance of findings.
Definition of Key Terms:
1. Toponym: The name of a place; place name
2. Cultural Region: An area that is distinguished from other areas on the basis of
distinctive cultural traits such as ethnicity, religion, language or other aspects of culture.
3. Sequent Occupance: The notion that successive societies leave their cultural imprints
on a place, each contributing to the cumulative cultural landscape.
4. Cultural Landscape: The features constructed by humans that form part of the visible
environment.
Materials:
1. Stewart, G. R. (1983) Names on land: A Historical Account of Place-Naming in
America.
2. Topographical and political maps of the U.S. and other regions.
3. Topographical, political and road maps of your area.
Preparation:
Place names can give clues to past cultural landscapes. They can also offer evidence of
past migrations (sequent occupance) in an area, even when time has erased other
evidence. Place names or Toponyms, often survive as evidence of the early settlement in
an area. For example, on the Caribbean island of Jamaica, there are at least four "layers"
of place names, each a product of a stage of settlement. The first layer, the Arawark
Indians, had no written language, so most of their words died with them. Still, a few place
names such as Aqualta Vale, Liguanea, and Guanaboa are derivatives from Arawak
words. In fact, the name Jamaica itself may be Arawak in origin. Spanish is the second
layer. The Spanish dominated Jamaica until they were forced out by the British in the
mid-seventeenth century. Spanish names of many towns Port Antonio, Santa Crux,
Montague Bay, and rivers, Rio Mooney, Rio Core, remain throughout the island.
The most numerous toponyms in Jamaica are the layer consisting of English, Scottish,
and Welsh names like Kingston, Junk, and Llandovery. Finally, some settlements,
particular in the interior mountains, show the influence of a fourth layer--African. These
settlements were established and named by escaped slaves in the eighteenth century and
by those emancipated after 1838. Wit-a-Bit and Quick Step in the isolated Land of the
Look Behind are examples.
Procedures:
1. Discuss all key terms.
2. Have a teacher led discussion using maps to discover patterns of place names of
various places in the United States.
3. Divide the class in to small groups.
4. Assign each group a particular area of your community and the surrounding area.
5. Have students research or do fieldwork to discover toponyms of street names,
businesses, physical landscape, etc. of their assigned area.
6. Have students research the origin of these place names to identify the people who
settled these areas and make a time line.
7. Have each group present their findings to the whole class.
Evaluation:
1. Group Presentations
2. Time lines
Unit 3: Cultural Patterns & Processes
Lesson 2 Title: Toponym Scavenger Hunt
Objectives: Students will:
1. Locate and identify examples of toponyms in each category.
Materials:
1. Topographical and Political U.S. Maps (1 per group)
2. Toponymy Activity Sheet (1 per student)
Procedures/Steps:
1. Divide class into small groups of 3-4 students.
2. Give each group a copy of a U.S. map.
3. Distribute a copy of the Toponym Activity Sheet to each student.
4. Review categories of toponyms with class. Discuss the following as examples:
Descriptive: Rocky Mountains, Chicago (Stinking Onions in the
language of the first inhabitants).
Associative: Mill River (a mill was on the river), Springfield
Incident Names: Battle Creek, Bloody Ridge, Cut and Shoot
Possessive Names: Castro Valley, Pittsburgh
Commemorative (commemorating someone well-known or in honor of a
famous person): St Louis, San Jacinto, Houston, Seattle (named after
Chief Seattle), Austin, Pennsylvania (Penn's Woods), Illinois (after the
Illini Indians)
Commendatory (praising): Pleasant Valley, Greenland
Manufactured (made up names): Tesnus (Sunset spelled backwards),
Reklaw (Walker spelled backwards) Iraan (Ira and Ann name the town
after each other)
Mistaken (historic errors in identification or translation): West Indies
(not west of the Indies and not the Indies)
Shift Names (relocated names or names from settler's homeland): Athens
(Greece and Texas), Palestine (Middle East and Texas), New Mexico
(settlers from Mexico named their new home after their previous home),
New England,
5. Discuss directions for assignment.
6. Have students complete the assignment by locating examples of different categories of
toponyms.
Evaluation:
1. Toponym Activity Sheet
AP Human Geography
Unit 3: Cultural Patterns & Processes
Lesson 2: Toponym Scavenger Hunt
NAME_____________________
Period ________ Date____________
Toponymy Activity Sheet
Directions: Each small group will receive a U.S. map. Locate and list two examples of
each of the following categories of toponyms as described by George Stewart. Please
give the name and location (city & state) of the toponym.
1. Descriptive:
2. Associative:
3. Commemorative:
4. Possessive:
5. Commendatory:
6. Incidental:
7. Manufactured:
8. Folk-Etymology
9. Mistake:
10. Shift: