1. Diagram to show rock layers at the Devon coast.
Catastrophe Hobbit Problem 1 1
Spiral mystery
You have got a summer job working in a museum on the Devon coast.
A local resident brought this into the museum.
He found a stone on the beach which broke when he dropped it, revealing the weird spiral shape inside.
He wants to know more about the object. You show him this poster from the museum.
Use the diagram on the poster to explain:
What the spiral shaped object is.
What type of rock this is, and how the object got inside the rock.
How the place in the diagram shows you the age of the objects.
Why, in an archaeological dig, a spiral shaped object may be dug up with the human remains, even though its much older.
Diagram to show rock layers at the Devon coast.

2. Catastrophe Hobbit Problem 1 2
Teacher’s Guide
Goal
The problem targets understandings that are part of the Big Idea: Geological Time
Sediments lay down layers which become joined together as new sedimentary rock.  In most sedimentary rocks, dissolved minerals cemented the sediments together as the rock dries out. These thousands of layers provide evidence for the Earth being very old.
Usually, older rock layers are lower down. However, in some places, folding and uplift has brought older layers to the surface.
Sedimentary rock may contain remains or evidence of life forms.  This evidence helps scientists piece together the story of life on Earth, including human life.
APP links
The problem could be used to assess achievement against criteria in the ‘explanations’ strand of AF1.
Mission If you are using the APPREND Mission Booklets, the student outcomes will allow you to give feedback on the ‘Know facts’ and ‘Use concepts’ sections of the L3-5 mission: ‘Understand Geological Time’.
Marking guide
APP L3
Responds to ideas given to them to answer questions or suggest solutions to problems
Uses straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions, or to support their findings.
Factual recall e.g.
The spiral shaped object is a fossil.
The rock must be sedimentary, as this is where fossils are found.
The oldest objects are at the bottom.
APP L4
Use scientific ideas when describing simple processes or phenomena
As above plus:
The rock is formed from bits of rock (sediment) that got laid down (deposited) in layers.
The fossil got inside the rock because sometimes the sediment covers dead creatures, or objects and this gets preserved inside the rock as a fossil.
The layers of rock at the bottom of the diagram are the oldest.
APP L5 Uses abstract ideas or models when describing processes or phenomena.
 Draws on abstract ideas, or uses more than one step, to explain processes or phenomena, suggest solutions to problems and answer questions.
As above plus a more detailed explanation of how sedimentary rocks and fossils are formed e.g.
As more sediment is deposited, the weight of sediment above pushes the sediments below closer together. Dissolved minerals gradually cement the sediments together. Rock is formed.
As you go down the strata, the objects (fossils) get older. This is because the bottom layer of rock was the first to be formed (millions of years ago). When the sediment was deposited here, dead creatures would have got covered by the sediment and, if conditions were right, would turn into fossils as more layers of sediment built up.
In an archaeological dig the spiral-shaped fossil may be dug up with human remains because uplift has caused the bottom layers of rock, and the fossils they contain, to move upwards into higher-up levels, where newer fossils are found.

3. Catastrophe Hobbit Problem 2 3
Explaining Strata
You have got a summer job working in a museum on the Devon coast.
A local resident brought this into the museum.
He found a stone on the beach which broke when he dropped it, revealing a fossil inside.
He wants to know more about the fossil and how his local area has changed during the Earth’s history.
You show him this poster from the museum.
Diagram to show rock stratum at the Devon coast
Use the diagram on the poster to explain:
If you think the fossil is thousands or millions of years old and explain how the diagram helps you to work this out.
What the strata shows about geological events that have helped change this landscape in the past.
What the fossils show you about what the living conditions were like at different stages of the landscape’s history.
Activity from the Catastrophe unit © upd8 wikid, built by cracking science
This page may have been changed from the original

4. Catastrophe Hobbit Problem 2 4
Teacher’s Guide
Goal
The problem targets understandings that are part of the Big Idea: Geological Time
Sediments lay down layers which become joined together as new sedimentary rock, periodic events such as flooding make different thickness of layers. 
Usually, older rock layers are lower down. However, in some places, folding and uplift has brought older layers to the surface.
These thousands of layers provide evidence for the Earth being very old.
Sedimentary rock may contain remains or evidence of life forms.  This evidence helps scientists piece together the story of life on Earth, including human life.
Changes in the surface of the Earth can be explained by projecting physical processes over millions of years.
APP links
The problem could be used to assess achievement against criteria in the ‘explanations’ strand of AF1.
Mission If you are using the APPREND Mission Booklets, the student outcomes will allow you to give feedback on the ‘What if?’ and ‘Solve’ sections of the L5-7 mission: ‘Master Geological Time’.
Marking guide
APP L5
Uses abstract ideas or models when describing processes or phenomena.
Draws on abstract ideas, or uses more than one step, to explain processes or phenomena, suggests solutions to problems and answer questions.
The fossil is millions of years old as it is found in a layer near the bottom of the strata.
A simple description of one geological event that has changed this landscape in the past e.g.
There was uplift in the past which brought older layers closer to the surface.
APP L6
Uses abstract ideas or models when explaining processes or phenomena.
 Takes account of more than one factor when explaining processes or phenomena.
As above plus a prediction of at least one geological event that has changed this landscape in the past, and how it changed it e.g.
The layer of igneous rock shows that there was an eruption in the past which resulted in a layer of lava cooling down to form rock.
The lump of igneous rock shows that at some point this layer of rock has melted and then cooled down again.
As layer C is thicker, it may indicate a flood happened in which more sediment was carried to the area before being deposited.
APP L7 Makes explicit connections between abstract ideas in explaining processes or phenomena.
Employs a systematic approach in deciding the relative importance of a number of factors when explaining processes or phenomena.
As above but a prediction of more than one geological event that has changed this landscape in the past, with strong reasons.
Also an explanation of what the fossils show about the living conditions at different stages of the landscape’s history. e.g.
Below layer D the fossils are all underwater creatures which suggest that these layers built up underneath the sea or a river. Then the area must have changed into land as following layers contain only land animals and plants. The newest layer shows that a human settlement must have been here.

5. Catastrophe Hobbit Problem 3 5
Gemstones
The names of the three types of rock are missing from the diagram. Start off by saying which type of rock is represented by each number.
Sophie has just got engaged.
Her ring is set with two gemstones; diamond and garnet. 1 2 3
The table below gives information on where the gems in Sophie’s ring were formed and where they were found.
Then use the diagram to explain to Sophie how was it possible for the diamonds and the garnets to be found at a different place to where they were formed.
If the diamond was not dug up and made into a ring, over millions of years it could have been changed into each of the types of rock in turn. Explain how this could happen.
You should use the idea of the rock cycle in your explanations.
Linda, can you please delete the bit I’ve crossed out and add ‘Deep inside the mantle, then carried upwards by magma which cools under the surface of the Earth’ instead.
Activity from the Catastrophe unit © upd8 wikid, built by cracking science
This page may have been changed from the original

6. Catastrophe Hobbit Problem 3 6
Teacher’s Guide
Goal
The problem targets understandings that are part of the Big Idea: Geological Time
Changes in the surface of the Earth can be explained by projecting physical processes over millions of years.
APP links
The problem could be used to assess achievement against criteria in the ‘explanations’ strand of AF1.
Mission If you are using the APPREND Mission Booklets, the student outcomes will allow you to give feedback on the ‘Explain Fully’ section of the L5-7 Mission ‘Master Geological Time’
Marking guide
APP L5 Uses abstract ideas or models when describing processes or phenomena.
Draws on abstract ideas, or uses more than one step, to explain processes or phenomena, suggests solutions to problems and answer questions.
The movement of both the gemstones are explained using the key processes involved in the rock cycle e.g. weathering, erosion, melting, heat and pressure.e.g.
The diamond was in the magma which cooled down under the Earth’s surface and turned into igneous rock. The surrounding softer rock was weathered and eroded. Finally the igneous rock itself was weathered into smaller pieces and eroded by the stream. The stream carried the diamond down to the river bed, where it settled on the bottom.
The three types of rock are correctly named according to their location on the diagram.
APP L6
Uses abstract ideas or models when explaining processes or phenomena.
Takes account of more than one factor when explaining processes or phenomena.
As above but also...
Has explained how the diamond could have been changed into one type of rock. e.g.
The diamond could have been covered in more sediment that has been eroded from the mountain. This sediment would eventually turn into sedimentary rock as the layers of sediment get squashed and minerals cemented them together.
APP L7
Makes explicit connections between abstract ideas in explaining processes or phenomena.
Employs a systematic approach in deciding the relative importance of a number of factors when explaining processes or phenomena.
As above but :
Has explained in detail how the movement of the gemstones are explained using the key processes involved in the rock cycle. They may have come up with more than one process to explain the same movement.
Has explained fully how the diamond could have been changed into all 3 types of rock by explaining how sedimentary rock may be changed into metamorphic.

7. Picture credits: Picture Slide Credit
Dactylioceras Chesil fossil commons.wikimedia.org
Nautiloids Erfoud Cephalopods commons.wikimedia.org