Basketballs bounce across the gym as third graders at Burnett Creek Elementary work in groups of four, passing a ball and recording results. Comparing low-force and high-force passes, they quickly see that harder throws can cut times in half. Thanks to a grant from the Lafayette Breakfast Optimist Club, teacher Hannah Dunbar and PE teacher David Schultheiss turned the gym into a hands-on science lab, using basketball to explore concepts like motion and force.

“By integrating science with physical education, students apply what they learn in the classroom directly in the gym,” Dunbar says. “This kind of real-world application is what helps the learning truly stick.” The approach works especially well for high-ability learners, who thrive when testing hypotheses, gathering data and drawing their own conclusions.

The grant also funded a classroom library on force, motion and basketball, along with new basketballs and instructional materials. Over six weeks, students rotate through labs exploring dribbling, passing, shooting and spinning, then complete a workbook and a final writing project connecting their gym experiments to classroom science.

For Dunbar, the biggest “aha” moments come when students see that the concepts they learn in class are the same ones at work in the gym. Schultheiss says the biggest surprise is how differently students approach basketball when focusing on science rather than perfect form. “Students use what they’ve learned about force and motion to understand how the ball moves,” he says. “Bringing science into the gym helps them connect classroom concepts in a way that feels active and fun.”

The collaboration has opened new possibilities for both teachers. “This has changed how I think about what PE can be,” Schultheiss says. “When students understand the science behind the movement, they’re more engaged and thoughtful.” Dunbar adds, “Students aren’t just learning force and motion in the abstract. They are feeling it, measuring it and seeing it work in real time.” That kind of learning, both agree, sticks long after students leave the gym.