The role of sports in students' lives is highly significant. During school lessons, students satisfy their need for movement, while simultaneously developing their motor skills and abilities, physically growing, and relaxing. Additionally, sports play a crucial social role as students socialize, build relationships, and develop their personalities during these lessons. Therefore, sports can be effectively linked with learning a foreign language, wherein students also socialize and realize the importance of English as a communication tool in today's world. In the master's thesis, we addressed the holistic development of children and early foreign language learning, which led us to various approaches to early foreign language teaching, including the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach. In English language learning, the CLIL approach is increasingly utilized. This approach is based on students acquiring content knowledge (achieving the goals outlined in the curricula of various subjects, such as sports) while simultaneously using, understanding, acquiring, and learning foreign language. Such an approach offers students numerous advantages, such as increased motivation for learning and broadening their general knowledge. In our literature review, we focused on defining CLIL, its development, forms, and its use in Slovenia. Since our research is based on the connection between sports and the English language, we also focused on the interdisciplinary connection between these two subjects and their curricula. Finally, we added an English-Slovenian dictionary of sports terminology useful for the interdisciplinary integration of sports and the English language or the use of the CLIL approach. The use of sports terminology can significantly impact students' perception of English as a useful language in their daily lives. If students are passionate about a particular sport, using English in this context will motivate them more to learn and use the language. Sport is a global phenomenon, and many sports, such as soccer, basketball, tennis, and others, use English as the primary language of communication. This thesis is intended to encourage teachers to use the CLIL approach more frequently and to facilitate the planning and implementation of such lessons. In the research component of the master's project, we prepared and conducted lessons that incorporate both English and sports content, aiming to simultaneously achieve the goals of the curricula of both subjects. Through action research, we employed the approach of teaching selected sports content in English during these lessons. This teaching method was tested in the third grade with 22 students over 8 school hours in April 2024. Consequently, students simultaneously acquired new knowledge of both English and sports. We expected an improvement in students' English proficiency and greater motivation for further learning. The results of the final test showed that physical activity has a positive effect on motivation for learning. Throughout all the lessons, the students were very active and visibly enjoyed themselves. The results also showed that physical activity positively influences learning and retention. The master's thesis can be of assistance and encouragement to teachers to use the CLIL approach more frequently in their foreign language teaching, despite its challenges. Due to the lack of knowledge about the CLIL approach, teachers could also be trained and educated in its use.
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