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

LessonPrint · 4-PS4-3 · Set 17 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Patterns That Carry a Message

Set 17. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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.