At MaST Community Charter School II in Philadelphia, second-grade students learn math by focusing on Eagles football. Their teacher, Amber Kiley, keeps track of star running back Saquon Barkley’s rushing yards, using game numbers to teach place values and predictions.

“We started tracking Saquon Barkley’s rushing yards for our math lesson,” said Kiley to CBS News Philadelphia.

Students use real game stats, and learn calculations while developing teamwork skills. Since football season began, the class has followed player numbers, working with actual data from each game.

These math lessons go beyond simple addition and subtraction. Students practice making game score predictions and looking for patterns in player performance. During Super Bowl LIX, the class used their math skills to predict an Eagles win against Kansas City.

As a new teacher, Kiley wanted to create math lessons her students would remember. Her unique approach to numbers has gotten kids interested in what could be boring material.

When baseball starts up, the class will move on to tracking Phillies stats. This change will keep math fun throughout spring and summer.

Through sports-based math, students learn about pushing through challenges. Using game stats helps them connect classroom learning to family time watching Sunday games.