🍦 Student Workbook

Who Ate My Ice Cream?

Your personal workbook! Read the book first, then work through these activities at your own pace.

🎓 Ages 9–12
📖 Vocabulary Words
🏛️ Taxes & Civics
✏️ Write-In Activities

📖 Vocabulary Words

Tap any word to see what it means. Try to guess before you peek!

Tax
noun tap ▾
Money people pay to the government. It pays for things everyone shares — roads, schools, firefighters, and parks. Think of it like a membership fee for living in a country.
Paycheck
noun tap ▾
The money you get paid for doing a job. Here's the twist — the number on top (gross) is NOT what lands in your pocket. Taxes come out first. That's the whole mystery!
Republican
noun tap ▾
Ellie's team . Republicans generally think people should keep more of their own money and that the government should stay smaller. The elephant is their real symbol.
Democrat
noun tap ▾
Donnie's team . Democrats generally think collecting more taxes — especially from people who earn more — helps pay for services that everyone needs. The donkey is their real symbol.
Income Tax
noun phrase tap ▾
A tax on the money you EARN. The more you make, the more you pay. This is Donnie's favorite kind of tax — he thinks it's fairer to tax people based on what they can afford.
Sales Tax
noun phrase tap ▾
A tax on the things you BUY. When you pay $5 for a book but it rings up as $5.40 — that extra 40 cents is sales tax. Ellie loves this idea: tax what people spend, not what they earn.
16th Amendment
noun phrase tap ▾
A change made to the U.S. Constitution in 1913. It officially gave Congress the power to collect income taxes. Before this, the government mostly taxed imported goods and specific products.
Public Services
noun phrase tap ▾
The stuff your taxes actually pay for — schools, fire stations, police, roads, parks, and libraries. Everyone uses them. Nobody pays for them directly. Taxes make it work.
Congress
noun tap ▾
The part of the U.S. government that makes the laws — including tax laws. It has two parts: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Ellie and Donnie would both need to convince Congress to make changes.
Gas Tax
noun phrase tap ▾
A tax built into the price of every gallon of gas. You don't see it separately — it's already included. This is one of Ellie's preferred taxes because it taxes spending, not earning.
Social Security
noun tap ▾
A government program that sends monthly money to older Americans who've retired. It's paid for by a small percentage taken from everyone's paycheck while they're working. Donnie is a big fan.
Budget
noun tap ▾
A plan for how money gets spent. Your family might have one. So does the U.S. government — and deciding what to spend tax money on is one of the biggest reasons Ellie and Donnie argue!

🧠 Quick Check-In

How much did you pick up from the book? Answer in your own words — no pressure, no grades!

💡 Tip: Don't overthink it. If you read the book, you know more than you think. Just write what you remember!

Question 1
Who are Ellie and Donnie, and why do their animals matter?
Ellie is a Republican elephant and Donnie is a Democratic donkey . Those animals are the REAL symbols used by both parties — the book just brought them to life as characters who argue about taxes and how the government should spend money.
Question 2
Explain "Ellie's Way" of collecting taxes. What kind of taxes does she prefer?
Ellie prefers taxing what people SPEND — not what they earn. Her favorites: sales tax (on purchases), gas tax, hotel tax, and restaurant tax. She thinks this is fairer because everyone pays when they choose to buy something.
Question 3
Explain "Donnie's Way." What does he think is the fairest way to collect taxes?
Donnie prefers taxing what people EARN — income tax. He thinks people who make more money should pay a higher percentage because they can afford it. He also supports Social Security and Medicare taxes from paychecks.
Question 4
What happened in 1913 that changed how the U.S. government collected money?
The 16th Amendment was added to the Constitution. It gave Congress the official power to collect income taxes — taxes based on how much money people earn. Before 1913, the government mostly collected money through tariffs (fees on imported goods) and taxes on specific products.
Question 5
Do Ellie and Donnie agree on ANYTHING? What's one thing they both want?
Yes! They both want a strong country where people are safe and have what they need. They just completely disagree on HOW to get there — how much tax, which kinds, and how to spend it. That's what the whole argument is really about.

✏️ Activities

Six activities that make the book come alive. Tap any one to open it!

⚖️
Activity 1 — Sort Ellie's & Donnie's Taxes
The book's big idea in one activity • Works alone or with a friend
▶

The whole book is really about this question: should the government tax what you earn or what you spend? Drag or write each tax in the right column.

Federal Income Tax
Sales Tax
Gas Tax
Social Security
Hotel Tax
Medicare
Restaurant Tax
State Income Tax

Ellie's Way
Tax what you SPEND

Write your answers here…

Donnie's Way
Tax what you EARN

Write your answers here…
Ellie's (spending taxes): Sales Tax, Gas Tax, Hotel Tax, Restaurant Tax

Donnie's (earning taxes): Federal Income Tax, State Income Tax, Social Security, Medicare
💵
Activity 2 — Where Did the Money Go?
Do the math • See exactly who ate your paycheck
▶

Imagine you worked at an ice cream shop all summer and earned $400. Let's figure out what you'd actually take home.

🍦 LITTLE SCOOP CO. — PAYCHECKSummer
Gross Wages (what you earned)$400.00
– Federal Income Tax (10%)
– Social Security (6.2%)
– Medicare (1.45%)
– State Tax (about 1%)
NET PAY — what you actually get!
Federal Income Tax: $400 × 10% = ?
Social Security: $400 × 6.2% = ?
Medicare: $400 × 1.45% = ?
State Tax: $400 × 1% = ?
Add them all up — total taken out = ?
Net Pay: $400 – total = ?
Federal Income Tax: $40.00
Social Security: $24.80
Medicare: $5.80
State Tax: $4.00
Total taken out: $74.60
Net Pay: $325.40

You worked for $400 but took home $325. That's about 81 cents for every dollar you earned. Now you know who ate your paycheck! 🍦
🏛️
Activity 3 — You're the Government Now!
Spend $100 in tax money • Defend your choices
▶

You just collected $100 in taxes from your neighborhood. Every single dollar must be spent. Divide the money — and there's no right answer!

🏫 Schools
$
of $100
🛣️ Roads & Bridges
$
of $100
🚒 Police & Fire
$
of $100
🏥 Healthcare
$
of $100
🌳 Parks & Libraries
$
of $100
🍱 Food for Families
$
of $100
Which category was hardest to decide? Why?
Would Ellie or Donnie be happy with your budget? Why?
❓
Activity 4 — True, False, or It Depends?
5 statements from the book • Think before you tap!
▶

Circle or tap your answer — T (True), F (False), or ID (It Depends). The last option is real — some questions don't have one right answer!

1. Everyone in the U.S. pays the exact same dollar amount in income taxes.
2. Sales tax is an example of Donnie's (Democrat) approach to taxing.
3. The U.S. government started collecting income taxes in 1776 when the country was founded.
4. Higher taxes always make people's lives better.
5. Ellie and Donnie are enemies who hate each other.
1. F — People who earn more generally pay more.
2. F — Sales tax is Ellie's (Republican) approach! Ellie prefers taxing spending.
3. F — Income tax only became official in 1913 with the 16th Amendment.
4. ID — It depends on how efficiently the money is spent and managed!
5. F — They argue, but they both care about the country. That's the whole point of the book. 🍦
🔍
Activity 5 — Real-Life Tax Hunt
Find taxes hiding in the real world • Takes about a day
▶

Taxes are everywhere once you start looking. Go on a hunt and record what you find!

Find a store receipt. What is the sales tax line? What % is it?
On a drive or walk — spot 3 things taxes helped pay for (road, school, fire station, park…)
Ask a parent: what's one thing on their paycheck they didn't understand at first?
If you earned $20 doing chores and 20% went to "family taxes," how much would you keep?
Would that feel fair to you? Why or why not?
✍️
Activity 6 — Write Ellie & Donnie's Next Argument
Creative writing • Pick your own topic • Make both sides good
▶

Ellie and Donnie are back — and this time they're arguing about something NEW. Pick any topic and write their conversation. The rule: both characters have to make a good point.

Ideas: school lunch rules, neighborhood parks, the library budget, sports team funding, homework…

Our topic today:
Ellie says:
Donnie says:
One thing they actually agree on:

🎨 Prefer drawing? Grab a blank paper and make a comic strip of their argument instead! Four panels is perfect.

⭐ My Progress

Check things off as you finish them. Watch the bar fill up!

Progress 0%

0 of 10 complete

✓
Finished reading Who Ate My Ice Cream?
✓
Learned the vocabulary words (at least 8 words)
✓
Answered all 5 Check-In questions
✓
Activity 1 — Sorted Ellie's and Donnie's taxes
✓
Activity 2 — Did the paycheck math
✓
Activity 3 — Spent the tax budget
✓
Activity 4 — True/False/It Depends quiz
✓
Activity 5 — Real-Life Tax Hunt
✓
Activity 6 — Wrote Ellie & Donnie's next argument
✓
I can explain taxes to someone else! 🍦