Real Stories & Letters
It's fun to read the Molly books and imagine her adventures and the challenges she faced in another time and place. However, Molly's stories, though set in a real time period, are fiction (look up "fiction" in Merriam-Webster's Word Central if you don't remember what it means). Today with the Internet you can also read and explore many true stories from real people in the war. Some of you may have heard some real stories from your grandparents. To read some real stories (another fun way to learn about WWII and the 1940s) check out the websites below.
You'll also find links to pages about letter writing and actual letters to read that were written during World War II. How do you communicate with people you love? Do you email or facebook your friends? Do you call them on the telephone or Skype with them on the computer? Molly and those who lived in the 1940s just had letters or telegrams for communicating with their loved ones overseas.
You'll also find links to pages about letter writing and actual letters to read that were written during World War II. How do you communicate with people you love? Do you email or facebook your friends? Do you call them on the telephone or Skype with them on the computer? Molly and those who lived in the 1940s just had letters or telegrams for communicating with their loved ones overseas.
"When a letter came from Dad, it was a surprise and treat." (From Meet Molly, pg 6.)
What Did You Do in the War Grandma? produced by Linda Wood, Judi Scott, and Brown University's Scholarly Technology Group. (1997). Interviews.
Remember Molly’s teacher, Miss Campbell? You can read a true story about another teacher named Helen Osley at this website. Her story is called, “A School Teacher Minds the Home Front.” She talks about rationing, blackouts, and having a victory garden. Also try Barbara Drew’s story, “Wife, Homemaker, and Civil Defense Volunteer." To help you understand this time period and the words used, there’s also a glossary or list of words at this site related to WWII with definitions. (To get these stories, high school students interviewed women in Rhode Island who had lived through WWII.) Women Come to the Front: Journalists, Photographers, and Broadcasters During World War II. Library of Congress. (2006).
For information about womens' involvement in the war and eight real stories with photographs and other primary sources, check out this website. |
Meet Private Art. by Art Pranger, Rose Pranger, Larry Pranger, & Geoff Pranger.
This site consists primarily of letters from a solider in WWII to his family. You can see bios and pictures of his family and read his letters from this site. To read the letters, click on the "dog tags" at the bottom of the screen. World War II, An American Scrapbook. Library Think Quest. (1999).
Four students from a school in Texas collected their grandparents stories from WWII, and you can read about, hear, and see pictures from their stories at this site.
You will also find help and guidance at this site if you want to interview your own grandparents and do a similar project! (Some parts of the website have been disabled, but you can still read the stories and find information for "collecting your own data.") |
"Stories of Family Ties." Experiencing War: Stories from the Veterans History Project. Library of Congress. (2004).
Some of you younger ones may want a little help with this site, but this website has many, many stories, photos, and even video interviews with real people who lived during or fought in wars. The particular page that is linked above highlights stories of different families, some of them like Molly's family. See if you can find the ones from WWII (hint: look at the dates) - like Marion Gurfein whose husband was a solider in World War II. Scroll down the page to watch video interviews and read letters. Notice the real pictures, too! To access even more stories, go to the main webpage: Experiencing War: Stories from the Veteran's Project and remember to look for the WWII stories. (If you don't understand certain parts of the stories or words used, visit the The War page of this site for links to websites about World War II.)
Loose Lips Sink Ships. Eyewitness to History. (1997).
Molly and her family received letters from her Dad while he was gone in the war. If you’ve read any of the interviews or stories from the website What Did You Do in the War Grandma, you’ll also have read about letter writing and how the soldiers had to be very careful about what they wrote so they wouldn’t give away secrets. Check out this webpage for a list of rules the soldiers had to follow when writing home. Click on the picture to be taken to its source, WWII Propaganda Posters. |
World War 2 E-Cards. WikiTree. (2010).
Although it's not the same as writing a letter and sending it in the mail, from this site you can send an e-postcard with a real picture from WWII, complete with a "stamp"!
**ACTIVITY Write to someone you know and tell them about what you're learning or write to a family member or loved one and tell them how much you love them. (Note: There are several advertisements on this page, but you will find instructions in the middle of the page and the e-cards to send on the right. Keep scrolling, and you will see several e-cards. Click on "send as e-card" underneath the photo to send that card.) If you know someone who doesn't have an email address, you could write them a letter on paper like they did back in World War II or type it in Word and then mail it. ** |