Numeracy

Regardless of your stance on Taylor Swift’s music, the fever of her fans, or the impact of her visit to Australia on students, it’s an undeniable concept that can inspire some real-world mathematics!

PREP – YEAR 2 

• Let’s make Taylor’s fashion choices the centre of attention! Across 12 different outfit changes, how many unique combinations of dresses, skirts and tops could she have rocked? 
• Swifties went crazy creating friendships bracelets. Using only pink, yellow and blue coloured beads, what combinations of patterns could you create? 
• Let’s uncover Taylor’s pre-show routine step by step! What’s the sequence of actions Taylor takes to get ready for each performance? List them from first to last. 
• One of Taylor’s songs is titled 22. How many ways can you represent 22? 
• The concert lasted for approximately 3.5 hours. How many minutes is that?
• Taylor’s first album in 2006 sold 2.5 million copies. Using place value how can we rename 2,500,000? 
• Taylor has released about 327 songs over 10 albums. How many songs might have been on each album? 

YEAR 3 – 4

• Tay Tay is 1.78m tall! Can you work out how many centimetres or millimeters that is? What are some other things around the classroom that are roughly the same height as her? Group items that are shorter, the same as and taller than Taylor. 
• ‘You need to calm down, you’re being too loud!’ 96,000 people attended the Eras concerts at the MCG each night. Taylor performed three shows. How many people attended altogether? Can you estimate first? How can you prove your thinking? (Additive and multiplicative strategies). 
• Taylor Alison Swift is her full name - how many letters does she have altogether? How many of these are vowels? How many consonants? Can you write this as a fraction or decimal in their simplest form? 
• The Eras tour covers songs from 9 of Taylor’s albums. Research the song list. Can you make a graph of how many songs from each album were played? Can you make a pie chart? 

YEAR 5 – 6 

• The MCG hosted Taylor’s Melbourne concerts, while her Sydney concerts were held at the Accor Stadium. What comparisons can you make between the two stadiums? You might like to consider seating arrangements, ease of access from the CBD via public transport, the size and shape of the venue, food stall availability and location, or you may have some ideas yourselves. 
• How might you represent your findings in two different ways? Many people missed out on a ticket. Some people flew to other countries just to see the concert. 
• Which is the most economical country to travel to: Singapore, France or Poland? Be sure to factor in flights, accommodation, travel to the stadium, food and at least.