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Patterns That Carry a Message

A 55-minute Grade 4 lesson on generating and comparing solutions that use patterns to transfer information.

Patterns That Carry a Message is a free 55-minute Grade 4 science lesson plan for Common Core standard 4-PS4-3 — compare designs that use patterns to send information. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.

Grade:
Grade 4
Length:
55 minutes
Standard:
4-PS4-3

Grade 4 · Physical Science

4-PS4-3

Generate and compare multiple solutions that use patterns to transfer information.

Objective

Students will be able to design a code and compare two ways of sending it.

Students are successful when they can

  • Agrees a pattern that stands for information.
  • Tests it over a real distance.
  • Compares two solutions on how often the message arrives right.

What you need

  • Torches, buzzers, flags, a measured distance
  • A tally sheet for messages sent and received correctly
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up

5 min
  1. Send three flashes and ask what they meant.
  2. Establish that nothing was agreed, so nothing was communicated.

Teach — the code is the information

14 min
  1. Agree a code: one flash yes, two no, three repeat.
  2. Send five messages and tally how many arrived correctly.
  3. Change to a sound code and repeat over the same distance.
  4. Compare the two tallies and say which transferred information better.
  5. Ask why a missed flash matters: the pattern is misread, not just shortened.
  6. Say why some codes repeat: a repeat catches a missed part.
“What does that pattern stand for? Did they get it right?”

Investigate — two solutions, ten messages

19 min
  1. Groups design two ways of sending the same code.
  2. They send ten messages with each, over the same distance.
  3. They tally correct receptions for both.
  4. They say which is better, and in what conditions the other would win.

Independent practice

14 min
  1. Students complete the 'Patterns That Carry a Message' page.
  2. Check comparisons use the tallies.

Close

3 min
  1. Ask which solution the class would use in fog, and why.

What goes wrong, and why

Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.

Thinks a louder or brighter signal is automatically better.

Why: It is easier to detect.

Fix: A bright signal with no agreed pattern still carries no information.

Tests both solutions at different distances.

Why: Each was tested where it worked.

Fix: Same distance. Otherwise the tallies cannot be compared.

Judges by which was more fun.

Why: Both worked sometimes.

Fix: Count correct receptions. That is the measure.

If they are not there yet

  • A code supplied, with the sending to test.
  • Five messages rather than ten.

If they finish early

  • Design a code that can send eight different messages.
  • Add error checking and test whether it helps.
  • Say how a pattern could carry a whole word.

Exit ticket

Two ways of sending the same code were tested ten times each. How would you decide which is better?

What to look for: Count how often the message arrived correctly, at the same distance for both. A preference means the tally step is missing.

Printable practice for 4-PS4-3

Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.

Questions about Patterns That Carry a Message

How long does the Patterns That Carry a Message lesson take?

55 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 14 min, investigate 19 min, independent practice 14 min, close 3 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.

Which standard does Patterns That Carry a Message teach?

4-PS4-3 — 4-PS4-3, Physical Science for Grade 4: “Generate and compare multiple solutions that use patterns to transfer information.” In plain terms, compare designs that use patterns to send information.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

Torches, buzzers, flags, a measured distance, a tally sheet for messages sent and received correctly and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.

What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?

Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: thinks a louder or brighter signal is automatically better; tests both solutions at different distances and judges by which was more fun. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.

How do I know whether the lesson worked?

The exit ticket asks: “Two ways of sending the same code were tested ten times each. How would you decide which is better?.” Count how often the message arrived correctly, at the same distance for both. A preference means the tally step is missing. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.

Is there a worksheet to go with Patterns That Carry a Message?

Yes — 1 printable 4-PS4-3 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.

Is Patterns That Carry a Message free to use?

Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 8 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.

Last reviewed 2026-09-08. Aligned to 4-PS4-3 of the Next Generation Science Standards.