The Shoeshine boy - a Victorian short story with comprehension questions

The Shoeshine boy is a resource for 7 - 11 year olds. The resource comprises of the short story (formatted to be printed back-to-back on an A4 sheet of paper and folded to make a booklet) and a sheet of written comprehension questions set on the story.

The short story is about a young black boy who tries to be a shoeshine boy but has trouble with an irate customer and a gang of mocking children. He is finally helped to enter Dr Barnardo’s school. The questions are divided into those needing a simple answer, those needing a more detailed answer and those with an open ended answer. There are also some teacher’s notes.

The resource can be used in English lessons to improve comprehension skills or as part of a topic on Victorian England to illustrate the life of working Victorian children.