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Introducing our updated drawing units!
Kapow Primary is thrilled to announce updates to our drawing curriculum for Years 1 to 6.
These enhancements include a clearer and more structured progression of knowledge and skills, increased opportunities for skill reinforcement, broader exposure to diverse artists and new educational videos for both teachers and pupils. This unit includes exciting new elements, while retaining some aspects of the current drawing unit Drawing: Tell a story.
In January 2026, the current Year 2 unit Drawing: Tell a story will be archived and replaced with this updated unit Drawing: Understanding tone and texture.
For more details on these updates, see the Art Progression of knowledge and skills (pages 29-32) and the Art Long term plan (pages 18-19).
Unit outcomes
Pupils who are secure will be able to:
- Experiment with a range of materials to create marks and tones.
- Use different pressures and control to make different marks.
- Describe the texture of objects.
- Identify how artists use tone.
- Control shading to show tone.
- Sketch simple shapes lightly so that changes can be made.
- Refine a drawing by building up the outline of an object.
- Pose to show a clear expression and head position to create a photograph.
Suggested prior learning
*Updated* Drawing: Exploring line and shape
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Lessons
Lesson 1: Exploring drawing materials
Lesson 2: Understanding and creating texture
Lesson 3: Exploring tonal shading
Lesson 4: Sketching and refining a drawing
Lesson 5: Creating an observational drawing
Lesson 6: Every picture tells a story
Key skills
Generating ideas
- Beginning to generate
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Key knowledge
Formal elements:
- Form: That ‘composition’
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Key vocabulary
grip
mark making
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Related content
Unit resources
Knowledge organiser: Drawing: Tone and texture
Aimed at pupils, two pages providing key facts and definitions from the unit ‘Drawing: Tone and texture’.
Vocabulary display – Art and design Y2: Drawing: Understanding tone and texture
A display version of the vocabulary from the unit 'Drawing: Understanding tone and texture'.
Subject resources
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Cross-curricular opportunities
None.