Battle Ship
Go ahead and try to sink your opponents battle ship. It's not easy!
If you have never played battle ship, it is a great deal of fun! Here are the basic directions:
On the left square: This is your ship firing board. Just click on a square where you think the computer has placed their ship. If you hit a portion of their ship, a read mark will appear. This indicates a direct hit. If a blue squiggle appear, it was a miss.
You ship fleet appears on the right. Immediately after you fire, the computer will fire at your fleet. They are trying to do the same thing that you are, sink your opponents fleet of ships.
Ships range in size from two shots to five. They can only go vertical or horizontal. Ships are never positioned diagonally. This is part of the strategy, if you hit a ship; the next hit is either above/below it or on it's side. Enjoy the game!
We you are done, you can play again by just clicking "Reload" or "Refresh" on your web browser.
How to Play the Game Battleship
Battleship is a classic board game that requires strategy and logical thinking to win. But if you're constantly pondering how to play battleships in the classroom, keep reading to find out.
What Is the Battleship?
Battleship is a board game usually played between two players. The goal for each player is to destroy all five of their opponent's ships completely. Students love the 3D version as it requires deep focus and planning, though a pen and paper version can work best in the classroom, especially to teach math.
How to Play Battleships in the Classroom
Battleship is an engaging game teachers can use for numerous purposes, but the instructions must be clear to yield a positive outcome.
Setting up the Grid
- Divide your students into pairs and provide them with an individual sheet of paper and a pen or pencil.
- Ask students to fold the paper in half, making a crease to divide the paper into two parts.
- Ask students to make two ten by ten grids, one on each paper part.
- Name one part 'The Opponent's Battleships' and the other part 'My Battleships.'
- Name the columns alphabetically from A to J and rows numerically from 1 to 10.
Placing the Battleships
Provide your students with five different types of ships. Though these can vary according to your students, here are the five primary ships: a 5 square Carrier, a 4 square Battleship, a 3 square Cruiser and Submarine, and a 2 square destroyer.
Ask your students to place these battleships on the grid they titled 'My Battleships.' Here are the rules they must follow to place the battleships:
- Place the battleships in a vertical or horizontal order.
- Diagonal order isn't allowed.
- Outline or shade boxes where you're placing your ships.
- The ships can touch each other but not overlap or cross each other.
- The ships can also not be split in two. For instance, a three squared Submarine can only be placed in three consecutive squares.
- The ships cannot be bent.
Your students must place all the five ships on their grid without showing it to their opponent.
Deciding the Key
Your students must decide on a key according to which they'll mark the hits or misses. For hits, they can use an X mark, whereas, for misses, they can use an O mark. Once your students have laid out the basic outline, begin the game.
Playing the Game
Your students have to sink their opponent's ships. To do so, they'll make a guess one by one and call out the squares in the way of coordinates on a Cartesian plane. They'd call out an alphabet on the horizontal line and a number on the vertical line—for instance, C3. The player's opponent who called out C3 will now have to look where column C and row 3 intersect and check whether their battleship is placed in that square.
If the called out square has the opponent's battleships part, the opponent will call out hit, and both will mark an X (the opponent on his My battleships grid whereas the player who called out the number on The Opponent's Battleships grid.) However, if it's a miss, the opponent will call out a miss and mark an O.
The next turn will be of the opponent. The same procedure will be repeated.
Ending the Game
The students have to go back and forth and hit as many squares as possible. If amidst hitting squares, an entire ship of a student is lost, the student must call out, 'You have sunk my ship.' The student who destroys the most number of ships of their opponents will win the game.
Conclusion
Battleship is an entertaining game, and now that you know how to play battleship on paper, you can easily teach students coordinates and Cartesian planes. You can get a printed grid for your students or follow the above mentioned method. Whichever way you decide, your class will be fun and engaging with this strategic planning game.