It’s

Your Life
Real World Math

Students use their numeracy skills to complete

this project. There are two options, one where
the teacher gives every student the same job
and another where they can pick a job of their
choice.

© Teach to Dream
 Teacher Information
This project has been designed to allow students to use their mathematical
skills in a real life context.
The students either work in pairs or individually to:
- Research a job they might like to have when they are older.
- Find accommodation near their workplace.
- Research different modes of transportation and pick the one best
suited to their needs (taking into consideration time, location and
cost)
- Prepare a weekly meal plan and budget for shopping.
- Find out the bills that they will need to pay.
- Budget and plan for any ‘extras’ or entertainment they wish to
experience.
- Have a glimpse of the costs associated with parenthood.
- Prepare a monthly/ yearly budget.
This project can take anywhere between 6 lessons and up to 7 weeks to
complete, depending on how much detail you want to include.

Tips
* The pages have been designed to either print off as a booklet or for
individual pages to be used and glued into students math books.
* The first employment is based on students researching any type of job
they wish to pursue. Therefore, all students would be on different starting
salaries and will need to pay different amounts of tax. If you would prefer
to keep it simple, at the end of the document I have included a sheet
where all students are ‘ garbage collectors’. This allows you to set the wage
for all students. This also works well if you would like students to work with
other peers rather than just friends. (As you would write down the name of
Suburbs/ or a street where they start work. Students then come up and
draw the suburb/ street out of the hat, and this is their location for their
workplace. Students that work nearby will generally choose to share the
cost of renting a house together.
* Students will want to have as many students leave in the one house as
possible! For this reason I limit it to a maximum of two students per house,
unless it has more than 4 bedrooms.
* The chance cards are optional. I find that students love these though.
Every week they come and draw one out of a box to see if they receive
good luck/ bad luck.
* Ask students to bring in food/ furniture catalogues and newspapers in
case the Internet is down or you have limited access to computers.
Have fun with this project!

© Teach to Dream
 It’s
Your
Life!
Real Life Numeracy Booklet

Name:
 It’s Your Life: Student Worksheet
Name:

The task: What do you see yourself doing as an adult?

Where will you be working? Where will you be living?

Employment:
• Find out where you will be working. Record this in your book.
• How much will you be paid? Record this underneath where you will be working.
• Do any class members work near you?

Accommodation:
• Where will you rent?
• How far is your work place from your home?
• Will you rent a place that is furnished or non- furnished?
• Work out the percentage of your income that your accommodation will cost
you.

Transport
• How are you going to get to work?
• How are you going to get to your parents/family’s house?
• Work out the fraction of time it will take you to get to and from work each day.

Food
*What are you going to eat?
• Where are you going to shop?
• Work out a fortnightly plan of the types of meals you will have each day.
• Find out what groceries you will need and the cost of these items.

Bills
• Water
• Electricity/ gas
• Phone
• Internet
• Rent
Graph your bills to see where most of your expenses will be.

Entertainment/ Clothes/ Extras/ Holidays/ Saving

• Decide what amount you can spend on the above items.
• How much can you save each fortnight/month?

© Teach to Dream
 Employment
Your first task is to find a job!
Think about your interests and skills to decide on a job that might
suit you. If you need some help have a look at the job list sheet.
Once you have a few jobs in mind, you will need to find an
employer. You may use newspapers or websites like
www.seek.com to help you find an available position.

My new job title is:

_______________________
Remember to cut out or print your job description and glue it
into your book.

My salary will be: ___________ per year.

How much will you be paid per month/ week?
Do you need to pay tax on your earnings?
Do any class members work near you?

Your Job Description (Please write or attach)

© Teach to Dream
 Job Titles – Ideas
Air steward Garbage collector Sign language
Animator Geologist Interpreter
Architect Hairdresser Singer
Assistant Jeweller Soldier
Author Journalist Solicitor
Baker Judge Surgeon
Biologist Juggler Tailor
Builder Lawyer Teacher
Butcher Lecturer Telephonist
Career counsellor Library assistant Translator
Caretaker Magician Travel agent
Chef Makeup artist Truck driver
Civil servant Manager TV cameraman
Clerk Miner TV presenter
Comic book writer Musician
Company director Nurse
Computer programmer Optician
Cook Painter
Decorator Personal assistant
Dentist Photographer
Designer Pilot
Diplomat Plumber
Director Police officer
Doctor Politician
Economist Porter
Editor Printer
Electrician Prison officer
Engineer puppeteer
Executive Receptionist
Farmer Sailor
Film director Scientist
Fisherman Secretary
Fishmonger Shop assistant
Flight attendant

© Teach to Dream
 Accommodation

Where will you live? Remember to take into consideration

your work place and where your family live.

Use the real estate section of the newspaper or online to find

suitable accommodation in your chosen suburb/ city. Can you
afford an apartment, town house or house? Remember it should
cost less than half of your take home pay. Cut out or print the
advertisement for your accommodation, and glue onto the bottom
of this sheet or in your book.

My Accommodation

My new address will be ________________________

____________________________________________

The rent cost per month will be ___________

My home is: furnished/ unfurnished

Describe your accommodation in your own words (Number of

bedrooms, bathrooms, backyard area, garage etc):

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

© Teach to Dream
 Furnish Your Home
You will need to have at least the following items in your
new home. (You may include items from your current bedroom
that you own – not items that belong to other family members).
Item Where will you purchase it
from? Cost?
1 bed per person

Bedding (sheets/ pillows etc)

A couch or place for at least 4

people to sit (you may need to
entertain family/ guests).
A piece of furniture to store
clothes.
A kitchen table and 4 chairs

Enough cutlery/ dishes for every

person in the house, plus 2
guests.

Optional Items

Washing machine (unless you

budget to go to a laundromat)
A coffee table

Side bed tables

Dining table

Forms of entertainment – TV,

radio, computer.

© Teach to Dream
 Transport

How will you get to work?

How will you visit your family and friends?

Public Transport
What is closest public transport to your house? How far away
is it, where is it located? Work out how long it would take you
to go from home to work.
Include a timetable if appropriate.

____________________________________________

____________________________________________

Will you need to purchase a vehicle? Yes/ No

If Yes, what type of vehicle will you purchase?

________________________________________

Use the cars guide section of a newspaper or online to find a

suitable car for sale. Cut out or print the advertisement and
glue onto this sheet or into your book.

How will you pay for this purchase? Will you save your money
and buy it later in the year or will you take out a loan? If you
take out a loan, how much interest will you need to pay?

____________________________________________

____________________________________________

© Teach to Dream
 Food
Record your meal plan below

Breakfast Lunch Dinner Snacks

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

© Teach to Dream
 Food
Shopping list for a fortnight or month

Item(s) Qty Cost

Total Cost
Monthly Cost (x4)

© Teach to Dream
 Food
Shopping list for a fortnight or month

Item(s) Qty Cost

Total Cost
Monthly Cost (x4)

© Teach to Dream
 Food
Shopping list for a fortnight or month

Item(s) Qty Cost

Total Cost
Monthly Cost (x4)

© Teach to Dream
 Bills
You will need to find out how much your bills could cost. You
could have a conversation with your parents or family members
to discuss what your accommodation costs may be compared to
their bills. Or you might research “Approximate electricity bill for
a 3 bedroom house” or phone/ internet plans etc, on the Internet
for information.

Water
My water bill for a quarter (3 months) is $_______.
This works out to be $_________ per month.

Electricity
My electricity bill for a quarter (3 months) is $_____.
This works out to be $_________ per month.

Gas
My gas bill for a quarter (3 months) is $_______.
This works out to be $_________ per month.

Internet
My Internet bill for a quarter (3 months) is $______.
This works out to be $_________ per month.

Phone
My phone bill for a quarter (3 months) is $_______.
This works out to be $_________ per month.

Petrol
My weekly petrol bill is $_______.
This works out to be $________ per month.

© Teach to Dream
 Extras

What will you spend your spare money on? Do you like
going to the movies? Are you saving up for a holiday or
expensive car? Will you save for a house deposit?

Use the table below to record your extras/ entertainment.

Expense

Eating out

Movies

Gym

Doctors/ any unexpected bills

Clothes

Holiday

Hobbies

Total monthly cost

© Teach to Dream
 The Baby Arrives
Congratulations, you are the proud new
parent(s)
of a baby balloon!!

My child’s name is _______________________.

Now that you are a parent, it comes with a lot of responsibilities.

You will need to take special care of your baby, and find money in
your budget to cover the new costs.
Your baby will need the following items for this week:
• Nappies
• Baby formula or food
• Baby wipes
• A few toys
Your baby will also require constant care. If at any stage you are
not able to care for them you will need to find a babysitter. An
independent baby sitter will cost $40 per break (Recess/ Lunch)
and $150 for over night care. The crèche (set up in the classroom),
will cost $20 per break and $80 for over night care. If you leave
your baby at home, independent baby sitter costs will need to be
paid that day.

Independent Crèche Total Cost

Babysitter
Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

© Teach to Dream
 You have become a
Pet Owner!

You are allowed to own any pet that is legal to have in a household
home. Although, if you are renting be sure to check your landlord’s
rules, do they allow pets at the house?

My pet is a ______________________.
Their name will be _________________.

Having a pet has some additional responsibilities and costs.

Your pet will need the following items for this week:
• A place to sleep (kennel, fish tank, scratching poles, cage etc).
• Food to eat
• Grooming/ vet fees covered
• A few toys/ accessories for the cage/ tank.

Items Cost Quantity Total Cost

needed

© Teach to Dream
 Monthly Record Keeping
Now that you have worked out your costs for a month, try to work
them out for a year. Remember that some expenses may stay the
same or similar, like your bills. However, some expenses may stop or
change during the months, for example if you finished paying for
your car or holiday.
Salary/ Bills Food Extras Savings
Wage (house,
transport
+ other
bills)
January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

© Teach to Dream
 Chance cards

You have a friend’s birthday You receive a wage increase

coming up. You buy them a of $10 extra per week.
gift that costs $20.

The Television in your house You didn’t use as much

breaks. You need to buy a electricity this quarter. Your
new one at a cost of $600. bill is $20 less than you
expected.

An unexpected rise in your A friend gives you a birthday

electricity bill. Cost $100 present for $30 off of your
next grocery shop.

Your form of transport is out Your home contents

of action for a week. You insurance is reduced by $10 a
need to catch public week.
transport. Cost $25

You donate money to charity. Congratulations you have

Cost $40 won a competition. The prize
is free groceries for a month.

An unexpected phone bill You enter a raffle and win

arrives. second prize. $50 cash.
Cost $90

© Teach to Dream
 Employment
Congratulations!
You have been employed as garbage collector to help keep our
communities clean.

I am working on the street or area of:

_______________________

My salary will be: ___________ per year.

How much will you be paid per month/ week?
Do you need to pay tax on your earnings?
Do any class members work near you?

Employment
Congratulations!
You have been employed as garbage collector to help keep our
communities clean.

I am working on the street or area of:

_______________________

My salary will be: ___________ per year.

How much will you be paid per month/ week?
Do you need to pay tax on your earnings?
Do any class members work near you?

© Teach to Dream
 Game of Life Assessment
Name:

Employment
Research your new work place and find an advertisement for
your position. /5
Record your monthly and yearly salary. Work out if you need to
pay tax. /5
Find out if any class members work near you
/5 /15
Accommodation
Locate a place to live. Find an advertisement of a home that
could suit your needs and budget. /5
Work out how much your accommodation with cost you, what
percentage of your income? /5 /10

Transport
Research the closest public transport to your house. Work out
how long it would take to go from home to work. /5
If a vehicle has been purchased shows payment plan/ method. /10
An advertisement of the vehicle has been included. /5
Food
Create a food plan for a week of meals. /5
Use catalogues or the Internet to compile a shopping list and
/15
find the total price of your groceries.
/10
Bills
Work out the total monthly cost for all of your bills.
/20
Record information about your phone and Internet plans.
/10 /30
Extras/ Entertainment
Explain where your money has been spent and why. Keep a
record for a month of expenses. /10 /10
Presentation
Work is presented in a neat manner. /5 /5
Class time has been used wisely. /5 /5

TOTAL /100

© Teach to Dream
Thanks for purchasing one of my products!!
Please take a look at my store to view more lesson
activities and projects. More will be added weekly.
You can view my products here:

My store has a focus on:

Australian Curriculum Resources
Middle School Projects
Start of the Year Resources
Homework Choice Boards/Grids
STEM/ STEAM by Theme

Credit to the following stores: