The Sword and the Stone is a story about a boy, Arthur, who was the son of a king but didn't know it. One day Arthur's older brother lost his sword and needed one for a tournament so he sent Arthur to retrieve him another one. Arthur went to the churchyard where the sword in the stone was. The sword had been magically placed into the stone and no one except the next king would be able to pull it out. Arthur grabbed the sword and removed it with ease. This is a great story about bravery and magic.

Reaction: This was one of my favorite books as a child, I first saw the movie then had to read the book. I always use to imagine I was the boy who pulled the sword out of the stone.

Extension: A great project would be to paint our own stones with a character from this book. Another extension idea is to watch the movie after reading the book, movie days at school are always the best days, although I would hold off and wait until it was a rainy or snowy day outside.

The Sword in the Stone is a classic Disney movie that explicitly connects the importance of physical strength (knighthood) with intelligence and the power of each. It's rare to find that quality in a Disney movie. Young girls may not find this movie particularly engaging as the only female character is a crazy old witch. However, the emphasis on reading and building an intelligence is a nice departure from the Disney norm.