"A Place at the Table" contains a teacher's guide, a 40-minute videotape and a 144-page textbook. The kit is designed to help students explore the historical, ongoing struggle to realize the national ideals of freedom and equality. This teacher's guide comprises 13 lesson plans (one for the video and one for each of the 12 chapters in the textbook); answers to objective questions are provided. If teachers wish to conduct an in-depth thematic course in U.S. history, they may choose to follow the entire guide. Teachers may also use the video lesson alone or select any of the chapter lessons in the guide for a one-day unit. The guide details classroom strategies for before viewing and provides suggested prompts for discussion, writing, and extension activities after viewing. The student textbook examines the courageous efforts of some "unsung heroes" who toppled barriers in education, voting, employment, housing, and other areas to participate more fully in democracy. The book contains stories of women and men who crossed ethnic, racial, religious, and other divides to help further the cause of justice. Following an introduction by the editor, the book contains these stories: "Apostles of Liberty" (Harriet Sigerman); "Who Claims Me?" (Gary Collison); "Freedom's Main Line" (Maria Fleming); "This Land Is Ours" (Brandon Marie Miller); "The Strike for Three Loaves"(Maria Fleming); "Road Trip for Suffrage"(Harriet Sigerman); "The House on Lemon Street" (Maria Fleming); "A Tale of Two Schools" (Maria Fleming); "Against the Current" (Beth Hege Piatote); "Wheels of Justice" (Lisa Bennett); "Going to Bat for Girls" (Lisa Bennett); and "The Battle of Spanish Fork" (Lisa Bennett). Each story is extensively illustrated and includes supporting documents. Contains an afterword and a list of 40 sources for further reading. (BT)