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

LessonPrint · 4-PS4-3 · Set 20 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Patterns That Carry a Message

Set 20. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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.