Illustrations by Aleksey and Olga Ivanov
Long ago, a boy named Frank Epperson made a sweet mistake. He made the first Popsicle by accident. Here is what happened.
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The True Story of Popsicles
Read about a cool kid inventor!
From the December 2022/January 2023 Issue
Lexiles: 350L
Guided Reading Level: G
Common Core Standards
TEKS Standards
First, Frank Forgets
Illustrations by Aleksey and Olga Ivanov
One cold day, Frank made a sweet drink. It had sugar in it. He mixed it with a stick.
Frank left his drink outside.
He forgot it and went to bed. Oops! It was a very cold night.
Then, a Chilly Surprise
Illustrations by Aleksey and Olga Ivanov
The first Popsicle, 1905
When Frank woke up, his drink was frozen. The stick was still in it. It was a yummy treat!
The National Archives (sign); subjug/Getty Images (frame)
Frank sold Popsicles at a fair in 1923.
At Last, Popsicles For Sale
Bettmann Archive/Getty Images
Frank and his granddaughter
When Frank got older, he sold his invention. People loved the frozen treat on a stick.
Today!
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Now we call them Popsicles. The next time you get brain freeze from a Popsicle, thank Frank!
video
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Activities
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Skills Activities
Answer Key
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More About the Article
English Language Arts Focus
Key details
Labels
Social Studies Focus
History, culture
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Essential Question
The essential question of this issue is What happens in cold places? The articles below connect to this theme.
- Picture This: “Grandma Shark,” p. 2
- Background Builder: “The Coldest Place,” p. 8
- Big Read-Aloud: “Escape From the Ice,” p. 10
- Mini History: “The True Story of Popsicles,” p. 30
- Poetry: “Snow Mail,” p. 32
Through the above genres, students will discuss:
- Have you ever been to a cold place?
- What do people need to survive in the cold?
- What are snow and ice like?
- What happens in cold places?
Implementation Suggestions
Whole Class
- Our Mini History feature provides an engaging, rich true story of the past. Read “The True Story” as a whole class.
Writing Block
- After reading and discussing the article, you can return to it later for your writing block. Have children write about how to make a Popsicle using our skills page or their own drawings.
1. BEFORE READING
Show a Video (10 minutes)
- Watch “The Big Question: What Happens in Cold Places?” with children to activate background knowledge about the cold. (This video also goes with other articles in the issue.)
Preview Visuals/Text Features (7-10 minutes)
- Point out the images and text features in the article. Call children’s attention to the dates mentioned in the captions. Guide them to conclude that these images are from the past.
- Tell children that history describes something that happened in the past. They are about to read about the history of the first Popsicle. Encourage children to think about how the Popsicle was invented as they read.
2. READ THE MINI ARTICLE (15-30 minutes)
- Read the article aloud. Read through the article again with volunteers reading each section.
- Ask children to think about Popsicles from the past and Popsicles now. How are they made? How are they shaped?
3. AFTER READING: FOCUS ON SKILLS
Writing Focus: Key Details/Sequencing (15 minutes)
- Encourage the recollection of key details and sequencing skills with the How to Make a Popsicle skills page.
ELA Focus: Main Idea (15 minutes)
- The Pop Shop! page provides a fun activity that reinforces the main idea of the article.
Text-to-Speech