Battleship

Just food for thought: Imagine trying to teach thirteen 11-year olds how to play the game Battleship using only the following words:

English: Big boat, small boat, submarine, guns, one, two, three, four, okay, yes, no, good job.

Japanese: Understand?, My ocean, [student name]’s ocean, finish, circle, ‘x’, mistake, that’s right, here.

Of course, there were also lots of gestures and I made ample use of explosion noises. I had the kids practice playing Battleship using the months March through August and various two-digit numbers (i.e. March 23).

It was fun, but quite a language challenge! Doesn’t it make you want to be an English teacher, too?