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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 4 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.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
2.Why do some codes repeat each message twice?
  • A.To use more battery
  • B.So a missed part can be caught the second time
  • C.To fill time
3.Why is a pattern better than a single signal for sending words?
  • A.Patterns are prettier
  • B.Single signals are illegal
  • C.Different patterns can stand for different things
4.Why must both people know the code before it is used?
  • A.To be polite
  • B.Otherwise the pattern carries no meaning to the receiver
  • C.To save the battery
5.Which is more reliable over a long distance at night?
  • A.A pattern of bright flashes
  • B.A whispered pattern
  • C.A pattern of small taps
6.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
7.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
8.A message arrives with one flash missing. What can happen?
  • A.The pattern is misread, so the information is wrong
  • B.The message gets shorter
  • C.Nothing changes

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

Answer key — Patterns That Carry a Message

Set 4. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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.