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Chinese Calligraphy — 书法

Twelfth graders explore 书法 (shūfǎ) — Chinese calligraphy, one of the highest art forms — and the “Four Treasures of the Study” (文房四宝): the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone that a calligrapher uses.

Grade 12Shūfǎ55 minutes1 class periodACTFL / CommunicativeExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explain calligraphy.
  • ✓Know the Four Treasures.
  • ✓Connect to art.
  • ✓Appreciate the craft.
Essential Question

In China, beautiful handwriting is a fine art. What is 书法 (calligraphy), and what are its “Four Treasures”?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

The Shūfǎ Explorer

Project this and tap each. Have students learn about calligraphy and the Four Treasures.

✍️ Explore calligraphy — tap eachTry it

The Lesson · Communicative Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

55 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Writing as Art

6 min

In China, beautiful handwriting is a fine art — what is 书法?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a calligraphy scroll.
  • Ask what makes it art.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Wonder.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Shūfǎ

13 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to the Shūfǎ Explorer.
  • Present the Four Treasures.
  • Note China invented paper.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Tap each.
  • Repeat.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Practice

15 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a Treasure.
  • Match tools to uses.
  • Say them aloud.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name it.
  • Match.
  • Say.
4

Speak — Speak

15 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Describe calligraphy.
  • Explain a Treasure.
  • Ask a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Describe.
  • Explain.
  • Ask.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a Treasure.
  • Say its use.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Advanced).

ACTFL
Cultures 2.1

Explore Chinese art.

ACTFL
Cultures 2.2

Explore cultural products (calligraphy).

ACTFL
Connections 3.2

Connect to the arts.

ACTFL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: understand art terms.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Treasure picture cards.
  • Sentence frame: “The ___ is for ___.”
  • Show calligraphy images.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with brush and paper.
  • Use pictures.
  • Repeat aloud.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Try a brush stroke.
  • Research a calligrapher.
  • Compare styles.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • ✍️Calligraphy images
  • 💻The Shūfǎ Explorer
  • 🖌️Brush & ink (optional)
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

书法 (shūfǎ)calligraphy毛笔 (máobǐ)brush墨 (mò)ink纸 (zhǐ)paper砚 (yàn)inkstone文房四宝 (wénfáng sìbǎo)Four Treasures of the Study艺术 (yìshù)art汉字 (hànzì)Chinese character
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What is 书法 (shūfǎ)?
Chinese calligraphy — the art of beautiful brush writing.
QUESTION 2
Name two of the “Four Treasures of the Study.”
Any two of: brush (毛笔), ink (墨), paper (纸), inkstone (砚).
QUESTION 3
Which Treasure did China famously invent?
Paper (纸).

Reflect: 书法.

Have students name two of the Four Treasures of the Study in Mandarin (like 毛笔 and 墨). A printable calligraphy sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Chinese Calligraphy (Shūfǎ)Flip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Chinese Calligraphy (Shūfǎ)Quiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Chinese Calligraphy (Shūfǎ)Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: 书法 (shūfǎ), 墨 (mò), 文房四宝 (wénfáng sìbǎo), 毛笔 (máobǐ), 汉字 (hànzì), 砚 (yàn), 纸 (zhǐ), 艺术 (yìshù)
  1. Chinese character
  2. inkstone
  3. brush
  4. calligraphy
  5. paper
  6. art
  7. Four Treasures of the Study
  8. ink

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What is 书法 (shūfǎ)?
  2. Name two of the “Four Treasures of the Study.”
  3. Which Treasure did China famously invent?
Answer key — Part A: 1) 汉字 (hànzì) · 2) 砚 (yàn) · 3) 毛笔 (máobǐ) · 4) 书法 (shūfǎ) · 5) 纸 (zhǐ) · 6) 艺术 (yìshù) · 7) 文房四宝 (wénfáng sìbǎo) · 8) 墨 (mò)
Part B: 1) Chinese calligraphy — the art of beautiful brush writing. 2) Any two of: brush (毛笔), ink (墨), paper (纸), inkstone (砚). 3) Paper (纸).