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Patterns That Carry a Message is a free printable Grade 4 science worksheet on comparing solutions that use patterns to transfer information, aligned to Common Core standard 4-PS4-3. 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 15 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.

Patterns That Carry a Message

4-PS4-3

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.Why do some codes repeat each message twice?
  • A.So a missed part can be caught the second time
  • B.To fill time
  • C.To use more battery
2.Which of these transfers information by a pattern?
  • A.A drum beaten in a rhythm that means 'come here'
  • B.A drum beaten at random
  • C.A drum left silent
3.Why is a pattern better than a single signal for sending words?
  • A.Different patterns can stand for different things
  • B.Single signals are illegal
  • C.Patterns are prettier
4.Why must both people know the code before it is used?
  • A.To be polite
  • B.To save the battery
  • C.Otherwise the pattern carries no meaning to the receiver
5.A message arrives with one flash missing. What can happen?
  • A.The message gets shorter
  • B.The pattern is misread, so the information is wrong
  • C.Nothing changes
6.Two designs send the same message. How would you compare them?
  • A.Count how often the message arrives correctly
  • B.Ask which looks better
  • C.Measure which is heavier
7.Which is more reliable over a long distance at night?
  • A.A pattern of bright flashes
  • B.A whispered pattern
  • C.A pattern of small taps
8.Long and short flashes stand for letters. What makes that a code?
  • A.An agreed pattern that stands for information
  • B.The brightness
  • C.The colour of the torch

LessonPrint · 4-PS4-3 · Set 15 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Patterns That Carry a Message

Set 15. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.So a missed part can be caught the second time
  2. 2.A drum beaten in a rhythm that means 'come here'
  3. 3.Different patterns can stand for different things
  4. 4.Otherwise the pattern carries no meaning to the receiver
  5. 5.The pattern is misread, so the information is wrong
  6. 6.Count how often the message arrives correctly
  7. 7.A pattern of bright flashes
  8. 8.An agreed pattern that stands for information

More practice for 4-PS4-3

Compare designs that use patterns to send information.

Teaching this next? Patterns That Carry a Message is the 55-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 4 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 4-PS4-3 of the Next Generation Science Standards.