I’m certainly not the first person to use battleship as a way to practice plotting coordinate pairs. There are beaucoup worksheets available with a google search, there are desmos activities etc etc, but I like the idea of using the actual game to make this game more tactile.
Same as the normal rules for battleship, kids place boats and take turns guessing placement of their opponent’s boats. The only difference is instead of guessing “A2” they guess coordinate pairs (-2, 4). It’s great practice on coordinate pairs, and an engaging way to practice such a fundamental skill. I have slowly been accruing copies of this, and someday, I’ll have a full class set.
This version of the game works best and it’s on sale right now: (https://tinyurl.com/y44uwwmk)
If you print the following file onto sticker paper, slap the sticker paper onto the game boards, it works great!
Cantankchris Math 