Battleships
Overview
Purpose
Vocabulary reinforcement
Learning outcome
Students can recognise and respond to specific vocabulary in Japanese.
Skills
- Listening
- Speaking
Type
Pair activity
Related units in Hai! kit
- Unit 8 Petto wa
Instructions
Instead of the number coordinates used in the traditional battleships game, this variation uses Japanese names of animals and colours.
Materials
To download the grids template, select from the following Word or PDF formats:
- Battleships template for 'Battleships' activity (Word, 33KB)
- Battleships template for 'Battleships' activity (PDF, 10KB)
Make one copy for each student.
Steps
- Divide students into pairs.
- Without their partner seeing, students colour in four ships anywhere on to the top grid, using the same numbers of squares as the ships listed below the grids.
- The two students take turns to try to 'hit' each other's ships, by calling the coordinates in Japanese. For example:
Shiroi hitsuji
White sheep - If a ship is hit, the student who owns it must say hai, and both students put a cross onto that square. If there is no hit, the receiving student says iie and their partner draws a circle in that square so they know not to call it again.
- When all the squares covered by a ship have been hit, the student who owns it must tell their partner which ship has gone.
- The activity continues until all the ships are hit. The winner is the player with the last surviving ship.
Tips
- Model correct pronunciation of all the words for the students before play begins.
- Listen to the students as they play to check and correct their pronunciation.
Variations
- Once students have learnt the Japanese version of the sound each animal makes, add it into the game by having the students make the sound of the animal when a ship in that column is 'hit'.
- Adapt for use with any unit by changing the words for the coordinates. For example, use numbers and the days of the week, or times and activities.
- Use pictures of the animals rather than the words. Students say the name of the animal by looking at the picture. (They will need to know the animal names first.)
Further learning
If you are focusing on developing in students the skill of recognising and responding to vocabulary, you could use the learning activity 'Simon says' for reinforcing body vocabulary.
Language to use
- Hajimemashoo
Let's start! - Moo ichido
Once more - Yoku dekimashita
Well done! - Zannen desu
What a pity! - Chotto matte kudasai.
Please wait.