BATTLESHIP IN MATH CLASS

​Do you remember playing Battleship when you were a kid? How exciting was it to figure out where your friend’s battleships were and sink them?! Well, I’ve brought that fun and excitement into the math classroom. For those of you who have no idea what the game Battleship is, read below to discover a game that will keep your students asking for more!

WHAT IS
​BATTLE MY MATH SHIP?
Battle My Math Ship is a game for two players who try to guess the location of the ships each player hides on a grid that can't be seen by the opponent. Each player receives a page with two grids and sheets to identify the spaces they choose and show their work. The goal of the game is to sink all of the opponent's ships by correctly guessing their location and solving the problem. 

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HOW DO YOU PLAY?

​Each player secretly marks the battleship grid on the TOP of their sheet with the number of battleships stated. They do this by drawing a ship, marking an X, shading the box, highlighting, etc. in the spaces they choose. The BOTTOM battleship grid is what they use to choose spaces and attack their opponent.

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​Each player calls out a letter and number that identifies a column and row from the BOTTOM grid in an attempt to name a space that contains an opponent's ship. Each player then solves the problem and states their answer to their opponent.

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​AFTER each player solves the problem, the opponent checks that space and states whether they “hit” or “missed” a battleship. Each player should cross off the spaces the opponent attacked and answered correctly and write HIT for the spaces that contained a ship. If they did not answer correctly, they can try attacking that space again on a different turn.

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The first player to sink all of their opponent’s ships or the most in the allotted time frame, wins the game!!!

​Watch the video below to see the game in action...

HOW MUCH TIME DOES IT TAKE TO PLAY?
The game can take anywhere from 30-60 minutes, depending on the math concept. I know class time can be limited for games. No problem! Often, I give my students a time limit to play the game. The winner is then determined by the player that sunk the most battleships in that time frame. Not needing a certain amount of time and the fact that my students LOVE sinking ships, is the reason this activity has become the most popular math practice activity I use in my classes.

HOW DID YOU CREATE THE GAME?
The idea came from the original Battleship board game made by Milton and Bradley. This was my favorite game as a kid, so I had to find a way to create an activity for my students that would bring them the same joy I had growing up and of course tie in some math learning! The Battle My Math Ship games cover many math topics from grades 6-12, so your students can play again and again.

DO STUDENTS REALLY ENJOY THIS ACTIVITY?
YES, it has been the biggest hit in my classroom! But you don’t have to take my word for it. Here are some reviews from other math teachers that have used it in their classroom as well:

Math games make math fun and this is no exception. My students loved playing this and repeatedly ask for it.  – Sarah O.

​Absolutely the most engaging game. My advanced kids were enthralled and asking for more!!  – Colleen A.

This is a very creative way to get kids engaged in practice.  – Katherine G.

​I thought my kids would find this activity confusing, but they LOVED it!  – Jennifer M.

​My students had so much fun with this! Students who had struggled at the beginning of our linear equations unit, worked hard to master finding slopes to play this game.  – Tiara W.

Students had a blast with this activity!  – Amy H.

My students loved this! It was a very engaging way to practice slope, all in a self-checking activity!  – Emily K.

Hoping you will keep creating more activities for more skills in this series -- my students have loved every one we have played so far!  – Diane M.

Love all of the Battleship games and so do my students!!  – Nicole Z.

My kids flipped over this! They LOVED it! They asked me to find more for them to do. – Harrison B.

​Can’t wait to get your hands on a battleship?! Great! I have one waiting for you for FREE, just CLICK HERE.

​OR are you already convinced that your students will LOVE this activity?! CLICK BELOW to find a battleship for the math content you teach. Over 75 to choose from!