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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 24 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 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
2.Two designs send the same message. How would you compare them?
  • A.Count how often the message arrives correctly
  • B.Measure which is heavier
  • C.Ask which looks better
3.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
4.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
5.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
6.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
7.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
8.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

LessonPrint · 4-PS4-3 · Set 24 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Patterns That Carry a Message

Set 24. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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.