This article from the JAE special social studies, history, and geography issue suggests steps and activities to help multigrade teachers organize their time and make social studies exciting for elementary students. Teachers should make a yearly plan and outline a detailed unit plan for each topic, which is done in the following steps: familiarity of objectives, gathering of resources, planning teacher-directed class periods, and independent activity periods. Activities for use in steps 3 and 4 are described. These activities require little teacher preparation or money and can facilitate decision-making, problem solving, and critical thinking. They include empty-chair drama, role-playing, simulation, and special group activities.