Picture-perfect learning.

• Author: Zack, Ian
• Position: Editorial

Dear Teachers,

In the nearly two centuries since a French inventor took the world's first fuzzy black-and-white snapshot, photography has revolutionized culture and communication. The allure of photos is certainly no secret to today's high school students, who snap countless selfies with their cellphones and tweet images of everything from prom outfits to delicious desserts. But as this issue drives home, compelling photos can also play an important role in the classroom.

We provide several exciting opportunities to build important visual literacy skills by exploring the stories photos tell and the moments they capture. First up is our profile of Pulitzer-Prize-winning photojournalist Lynsey Addario, who uses her camera to document dangerous conflicts and crises all over the world (pages 8-11 of the magazine). Spend some time looking closely at the examples of Addario's arresting photos as a class. Then...