Send a picture using a pattern

Which code sends a small picture most reliably?

Submit: Two code designs, reconstructed messages, error records and a justified revision.

Related lesson: Waves: Light and Sound

This is a teacher-led extension beyond the short lesson. The task supplies a performance opportunity; completion alone does not certify mastery, full NGSS coverage or state alignment.

Build the idea

Information can be represented by a shared pattern. A sender and receiver must agree on the code and order. A 0/1 grid can represent a black-and-white image. An alternative such as short/long taps can send the same symbols, but the receiver needs clear spacing and an agreed start. Reliability, speed and accessibility are different criteria.

Evidence and model inputs

Original message: a 3-by-3 plus sign, read left to right by rows, is 010 / 111 / 010. Trial example: card display reproduced all nine cells correctly; rushed taps reproduced seven correctly; taps with a row pause reproduced nine correctly. These are illustrative results; collect your own transmissions.

Keep actual observations, published findings and invented model cases labeled separately. If a source or required equipment is unavailable, pause that part with a teacher; do not invent results.

Materials and preparation

Grid paper, pencils, cards and quiet tapping surface. Provide a visual alternative for learners who cannot hear taps.

Grade-level scope

Compare multiple pattern-based solutions; memorizing Morse code alone does not complete the performance.

Do the work

1. Create a 3-by-3 drawing and write a code key and reading order.
2. Design two ways to send the coded message without showing the original picture, such as written bits and gentle taps.
3. Have another learner reconstruct the image. Compare cell by cell with the original.
4. Repeat with a new picture and record errors for each method.
5. Improve spacing, row markers or a repeat rule, retest, and compare reliability and time.

Learner worksheet

Write on paper or type here and print. Entries stay in this page’s memory and are lost when you leave or reload; they are not saved or submitted.

Check your reasoning

1. Why specify reading order?
2. What does 010 / 111 / 010 show?
3. Does a faster code necessarily work better?
4. What supports the claim that a revision improved reliability?

Teacher review guide

Review the actual deliverable and discuss the reasoning. For each criterion, use 0 when evidence is absent or fundamentally incorrect, 1 when partly supported with a material error or omission, and 2 when accurate, supported and complete for the stated task. Maximum 8 points is a task score, not a proficiency certification. Give feedback and allow revision.

1. Defines a shared code and unambiguous order.
2. Generates and tests at least two communication solutions.
3. Uses reconstruction data to compare them.
4. Refines a pattern-based method and explains the tradeoff.

Sources and standard reference

• Official NGSS 4-PS4-3 performance expectation — inspect the practice, core idea, crosscutting concept and assessment boundary.

Instructional text and hypothetical cases are original. Linked source readings supply published evidence where specified. Teachers should judge fit with their course and state requirements.