Battleships in Maths. Let the games begin!

Maths - Shape - Grid Coordinates

Always a firm favourite! Students quickly learn the need for mathematical accuracy and concise communication skills when fighting it out on a Battleships grid.

The biggest problem that I have found when teaching grid coordinates is confusion between the x and y axis. When I was at school my teacher preached: "through the door (x) and up the stairs (y)", and although I repeat this to my students (it will stick with some, maybe the auditory learners?) I am aware that it didn't do much for me as a boy.

Constructing an armada of battleships on a grid, visualising probabilities and outcomes, estimating, guessing, taking 'shots in the dark'... students must collaborate on the giving and receiving of grid coordinate instructions in order for a game to be a success.