The following material is intended to guide and be a resource for those who use the textbook "Prison Voices", published by Fernwood Publishing, to teach literacy at varying levels, primarily within the prison environment.

The purpose of this workbook is to give readers specific suggestions and ideas for expanding their interaction with the writing in "Prison Voices". Exercises and activities range in difficulty in order to encourage readers at every level to interact with the texts and images, with a focus on meaning as well as on skills development.

Just as the teachers’ guide suggests general ways in which to expand thinking about the writing and photos in Prison Voices, this workbook offers very specific ideas designed to encourage readers to dig deeper and to bring their own experiences to the themes and content contained within the writing. Although we hope learners will not use the workbook in isolation, and will have others with whom they read and discuss the texts, many of the activities suggested here can be undertaken individually. Some readers may be in classes or drop-in centers where teachers are also using suggestions from the Teacher’s Guide. In either case, every effort has been made to write directions as clearly as
possible for this workbook, for those who are using it by themselves.