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

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One paper per pupil

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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 must both people know the code before it is used?
  • A.Otherwise the pattern carries no meaning to the receiver
  • B.To save the battery
  • C.To be polite
2.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
3.Which of these transfers information by a pattern?
  • A.A drum left silent
  • B.A drum beaten at random
  • C.A drum beaten in a rhythm that means 'come here'
4.Long and short flashes stand for letters. What makes that a code?
  • A.An agreed pattern that stands for information
  • B.The colour of the torch
  • C.The brightness
5.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
6.Which is more reliable over a long distance at night?
  • A.A pattern of bright flashes
  • B.A pattern of small taps
  • C.A whispered pattern
7.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
8.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

LessonPrint · 4-PS4-3 · Set 23 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Patterns That Carry a Message

Set 23. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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.