Is History history?

I have been thinking a lot about how social studies will fit into my day when I begin teaching. I know that there is only so much time to teach all that is necessary and sometimes I wonder if social studies gets the short end of the stick. There is a huge push for literacy and math, and now science, but what about social studies? Is it history?

I aspire to make sure that History is not history in my classroom by creating integrated lessons and units. I recently completed an online workshop for class about creating integrated learning units. This way of structuring learning tasks in my classroom is appealing to me. I think it is an excellent way to reach all students' areas of interest during each lesson. I will not only engage my students during the lessons, but I will be able to maximize the learning opportunities they have during the time that they are in my classroom.

Please share your thoughts on the role of Social Studies lessons in the Elementary classroom.