My 9th grader’s classes in public school have essentially come to a standstill with no meaningful online classes in the next couple of months. What book would u recommend for me to homeschool him? It would be handy if the book also covered grammar that would be tested in the sat or act.
You could start with the classic Eats, Shoots and Leaves for an amusing look at why grammar matters.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/294386/eats-shoots-and-leaves-by-lynne-truss/
Check out Michael Clay Thompson’s materials for that age (Royal Fireworks Press). He is amazing! I used him when I homeschooled. D got a perfect score in both reading and english; S got 34 and 31 on those sections.
Check out The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. (I like the 4th edition–it’s not too long and it covers the basics.) I’ve given this book to many high school students and suggested that they read it and keep it on hand as a reference–if you remember these rules, you won’t make horrendous errors when you write.
And google diagramming sentences, I remember 2 of my kids doing this in elementary school and it was incomprehensible to me but seems useful. IMO prep for the ACT is a lot of reading, and writing real essays. Just get the prep ACT books (old ones are fine for this) and have the kid practice that section, the level is very basic. He may already score very high. You could do a mock cold test.
Unless the student is an English language learner, I expect you can just skip the grammar textbooks. Focus on a lot of reading and working through the ACT test prep books.
If you are not opposed to Christian content, check out Rod & Staff grammar. I would go at least a couple of grades below your child’s grade level. The 9th and 10th grade books are very advanced. Lower grade levels will help reinforce the concepts. They include plenty of diagramming. They also have a grammar handbook which I highly recommend.
This is all we used from grammar when I homeschooled our ds. He earned a 33 on the writing section of the ACT when he was 12 years old and taking it for Duke TIP. Scored a 35 the next time.
I disagree with those who suggest only working through prep books (though ds did that as well). I believe it is important to know the grammar rules themselves.
If you want help coming up with a study plan, I’m offering free help to parents and students given COVID circumstances. Feel free to message me with detailed info on what you’re specifically looking for help with and I’ll do my best!