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Using a Pattern to Predict is a free printable Grade 3 science worksheet on using a pattern in motion to predict future motion, aligned to Common Core standard 3-PS2-2. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two pupils in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 21 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Using a Pattern to Predict

3-PS2-2

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.A pendulum gives 9, 9, 10, 9 swings in ten seconds. What do you predict next?
  • A.About 20 swings
  • B.About 9 swings
  • C.It cannot be predicted
2.A swing takes the same time whether pushed hard or gently. What can you predict?
  • A.A hard push will be quicker
  • B.It will stop swinging
  • C.It will take that time on the next push too
3.Your four tries give 9, 9, 10, 9. What makes the prediction trustworthy?
  • A.They are all different
  • B.The four tries agree closely with each other
  • C.One try was 10
4.Someone lengthens the string and predicts 9 swings again. What is wrong?
  • A.Longer string always means more swings
  • B.Nothing is wrong
  • C.The set-up changed, so the old pattern may not hold
5.Why can a repeated pattern be used to predict?
  • A.Predictions are guesses
  • B.The same set-up gives about the same result each time
  • C.Patterns are always exact
6.A marble takes 3 seconds down a ramp four times running. What do you predict?
  • A.About 3 seconds on the fifth run
  • B.6 seconds
  • C.It will not roll
7.One try gives 9 swings. Is that enough to predict?
  • A.No, you need a hundred
  • B.No, because one try might be unusual
  • C.Yes, one is enough
8.What would make you stop trusting a motion pattern?
  • A.Doing more tries
  • B.Results that stop agreeing with each other
  • C.Writing them down

LessonPrint · 3-PS2-2 · Set 21 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Using a Pattern to Predict

Set 21. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.About 9 swings
  2. 2.It will take that time on the next push too
  3. 3.The four tries agree closely with each other
  4. 4.The set-up changed, so the old pattern may not hold
  5. 5.The same set-up gives about the same result each time
  6. 6.About 3 seconds on the fifth run
  7. 7.No, because one try might be unusual
  8. 8.Results that stop agreeing with each other

More practice for 3-PS2-2

Use a pattern in an object's motion to predict where it goes next.

Teaching this next? Using a Pattern to Predict is the 55-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 3 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 3-PS2-2 of the Next Generation Science Standards.