Philly students use World Cup to work toward summer learning goals

Zoom in: Dozens of Philly middle schoolers in Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia's summer program have spent the past few weeks diving into the tournament through hands-on activities, from a World Cup food show-and-tell to designing soccer jerseys.

• Students each picked a country to research, studying everything from the playing style of South American teams to Uzbekistan's national anthem.
• They've also recapped matches, including Cape Verde's Cinderella run, which ended in a narrow loss to defending champion Argentina.

Why it works: Breakthrough helps students from some of Philly's most underserved neighborhoods gain admission to top high schools and colleges while giving aspiring educators hands-on classroom experience.

What they're saying: "The students are really motivated. They all really want to be here," teaching fellow Caleb Low tells Axios.

• "It's been a great experience of me learning from them, and the students just working towards our goals."