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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 3 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 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
2.A message arrives with one flash missing. What can happen?
  • A.Nothing changes
  • B.The message gets shorter
  • C.The pattern is misread, so the information is wrong
3.Why is a pattern better than a single signal for sending words?
  • A.Different patterns can stand for different things
  • B.Patterns are prettier
  • C.Single signals are illegal
4.Two designs send the same message. How would you compare them?
  • A.Ask which looks better
  • B.Measure which is heavier
  • C.Count how often the message arrives correctly
5.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
6.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
7.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
8.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

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

Answer key — Patterns That Carry a Message

Set 3. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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.