Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th president of the United States. He was also a soldier, hunter, conservationist, and a family man. And he is a very interesting person to study!
With the free Theodore Roosevelt unit study below, you and your children will learn about Roosevelt’s personal life and how he used his political offices to create change. This is a great unit study to include when learning about the Progressive Era in America, which started in 1896 and ended with the start of World War I.
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The Books About Theodore Roosevelt
This unit study was created to use with the book, Who Was Theodore Roosevelt? (112 pages). This book was written for 3rd-7th graders, but could be used as a read aloud with slightly younger children. Black and white pictures engage readers and the book covers Roosevelt’s life from birth through his adventures and presidency until he died. Another great book to use with this unit study, especially for older children, is Theodore Roosevelt for Kids: His Life and Times, 21 Activities (144 pages). This book includes some hands-on activities! And, The Remarkable Rough-Riding Life of Theodore Roosevelt and the Rise of Empire America (143 pages) is another more detailed book for 5-8th grades.
If you want to incorporate some of Roosevelt’s own writings in your unit study, look for the collection, The Man in the Arena: Selected Writings of Theodore Roosevelt, at your local library and find a short passage to read.
The Theodore Roosevelt Printable Unit Study
The printable portion of the unit study contains:
Notebooking pages about Theodore Roosevelt’s life.
A timeline activity to chart Roosevelt’s life and work.
A following direction activity that teaches about different places related to Theodore Roosevelt.
Crossword Puzzle with words and concepts that Roosevelt was known for.
Copy work of some of Roosevelt’s famous sayings with a writing prompt.
Videos about Theodore Roosevelt
This video is good for elementary and middle schoolers. (4 min.)
Another good video for elementary and middle schoolers (10 min.)
This video is good for middle to high schoolers. (4 min.)
For a fun addition to watching these videos, watch the Night at the Museum movies where Robin Williams plays Teddy Roosevelt in his Rough Rider uniform.
There is also a two-part biography series from the History Channel about Theodore Roosevelt rated TV-14 and available on Amazon.
Hands On Projects About Theodore Roosevelt
Create Your Own Nature Collection and Book
As a child (and as an adult), Roosevelt loved exploring and collecting from nature. He often brought animals he found home with him. When he was just nine, he wrote a book describing many of the insects that he had observed.
Head out to nature around your house and collect different specimens to bring home. It may be best to stick with rocks, pinecones, leaves, etc. and leave the animals in their natural habitats. Arrange your items on a shelf or in a shadow box with different compartments. You can use a notebook to draw pictures and/or write about the different objects to create a book like young Theodore did about insects.
Help Roosevelt Win A Political Campaign
When candidates run for political office, they make brochures, buttons, posters and more! Look closely at the campaign posters below. Then think of what was important to Roosevelt and design a new campaign poster for him.
Make a Teddy Bear
The Teddy Bear was named after and inspired by Theodore Roosevelt even though he disliked the nickname, Teddy. Here is a video that tells a little bit about Roosevelt and how the Teddy Bear came to be named after him.
Make your own Teddy Bear with this simple sewing tutorial. If you are an experienced sewer and would like a more advanced teddy bear tutorial, try this one.
For a simpler activity, follow this video to draw a Teddy Bear or make a Teddy Bear Paper Bag Puppet.
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