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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 5 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 colour of the torch
  • B.An agreed pattern that stands for information
  • C.The brightness
2.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
3.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
4.Why must both people know the code before it is used?
  • A.Otherwise the pattern carries no meaning to the receiver
  • B.To be polite
  • C.To save the battery
5.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
6.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
7.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
8.Why do some codes repeat each message twice?
  • A.So a missed part can be caught the second time
  • B.To fill time
  • C.To use more battery

LessonPrint · 4-PS4-3 · Set 5 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Patterns That Carry a Message

Set 5. Prints on its own sheet.

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