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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 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.

Patterns That Carry a Message

4-PS4-3

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.Long and short flashes stand for letters. What makes that a code?
  • A.The brightness
  • B.An agreed pattern that stands for information
  • C.The colour of the torch
2.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
3.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
4.Why do some codes repeat each message twice?
  • A.To fill time
  • B.So a missed part can be caught the second time
  • C.To use more battery
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.Which of these transfers information by a pattern?
  • A.A drum beaten in a rhythm that means 'come here'
  • B.A drum left silent
  • C.A drum beaten at random
7.Two designs send the same message. How would you compare them?
  • A.Measure which is heavier
  • B.Count how often the message arrives correctly
  • C.Ask which looks better
8.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

LessonPrint · 4-PS4-3 · Set 21 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Patterns That Carry a Message

Set 21. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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.