edCenter Bookstore for: Mr. Decking's Class

Mission Statement

Sixth graders at Encinitas Country Day School, a private school in North County, are experiencing a unique opportunity in language arts education. Together, with their teachers Matthew Decking and Alison Coogan, they have embarked on a fourteen-week creative writing journey with published author and Carlsbad native, Joel York. Following Common Core state standards for narrative writing, this innovative endeavor creates and encourages a “real life” experience in professional writing and publication.

The two sixth grade classes meet weekly with York (who now lives in northern California) via Google Hangout, where they are guided through the storytelling process from idea creation to publication. Weekly writing tasks immerse the students in a step-by-step investigation of character, setting and plot development, which will culminate in the collective publication of their short stories.

“Our students are really excited about this journey, and they love being guided by and receiving im