There are many similarities between Taylor Swift’s lyrics and Jewish texts - they are poetic, have something to teach, require some amount of de-coding and cultural context to understand fully, and are based in a specific experience that folks use to understand their own lives.

These prompts are meant to help students engage in basic text study by thematically attaching a piece of Jewish Wisdom to a Taylor Swift lyric, and analyzing them the same way.

• What does this lyric mean? What is Taylor Swift saying?
• What else do you know about the song or situation? What might you have to assume in order to understand?
• What other secret meaning could there be?
• What can you learn from this lyric that is true in your own life?
• Do you think that there is Jewish wisdom that agrees/disagrees with what Taylor Swift is telling us in this lyric?

• What does this mean? Who is teaching us? What do they want us to learn?
• What else do you know about source that this comes from? What do you want to know?
• What other secret meaning could there be?
• What can you learn from this wisdom that is true in your own life?
• Does it agree with Taylor Swift? How does or doesn’t it?
• Who do you agree with?

Fill out this worksheet so I can get to know you a little bit, and so I know what you want to learn in this elective!

Why did you choose this elective?

Circle your favorite Taylor Swift Era:

What is your all-time favorite Taylor Swift song?

What is your all-time favorite lyric from a Taylor Swift song?

What’s one thing you have learned from Taylor Swift’s music?