“The secret of rocks” is a compilation of teaching materials intended for teachers and their pupils at upper primary and secondary levels (pupils aged 10 to 15). it provides quality material and illustrations to address the topic of the history of rocks and our landscape and to use to awaken their interest in the wonders of geology. As it is freely accessible, this information is also available to all other interested persons.

The teaching material mainly focuses on places familiar to its target audience and adds a geological touch. Based on an explanatory sheet and an activity sheet, the teaching materials can easily be incorporated into classroom activities and on-site activities. Since September 2021, this offer has been completed by a worksheet for pupils, which allows them to become familiar with the geodata provided free of charge by swisstopo. These sheets are organised by canton and can be downloaded from the list below.

Each download includes:

• An explanatory sheet giving simple explanations and accompanied by illustrations.
• An activity sheet combining experiments and some aspects to consider in the classroom as well as fieldtrip suggestions and an answer sheet.
• A worksheet for pupils and an answer sheet. (new since September 2021)

In the explanatory sheets and the activity sheets, certain words are marked blue. These words are defined in a glossary, which will soon be integrated in this page.

At present, the teaching materials include one feature per canton in the canton’s official language(s). We are always grateful for any suggestions and comments you may have: infogeol@swisstopo.ch. We look forward to hearing from you!