Diane Fowler/Special to the Eagle

Jason Le and Brian Sotelo sample cuisine from various countries as part of diversity studies at the Marco Island Charter Middle School.

Diane Fowler/Special to the Eagle

Areeb Chaudry proudly stands with his volcano mosaic.

Diane Fowler/Special to the Eagle

Amanda Marinaro and Sabriana Cretella teamed up to make their mosaic.

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At Marco Island Charter Middle School, sixth grade students have been getting some culture — ancient culture, that is.

Social studies teacher Craig Fisher and science teacher Vince Albanese gave the students an experience that was educational, and at the same time, fun and hands-on. Their assignment was to make mosaics and bring in delectable food items from around the world.

“We wanted to finish up our study of ancient history and purposely scheduled this project during the FCAT time to give the kids a little break,” Fisher said. “Dr. Albanese and I decided to add art into the study and turned this into a real inter-curricular project. The kids have had a lot of fun with it.”

The students worked in small groups making mosaics, the ancient art of making a design by fitting together small pieces of colored glass or tile. The sixth graders improvised by using colored paper, which they cut into one-inch squares.

Students Sabriana Cretello and Amanda Marinaro worked on their mosaic as a team.

“We made a sunset scene, with an island and a palm tree,” Amanda said. “The design was my idea, but Sabriana did a lot of the spacing.”

Another facet of the study was the introduction of food from other cultures. Albanese had the students bring in a food of their choice, either from an ancient culture, or food from the land of their ancestors. Good nutrition was discussed in relation to the food choices.

“When we combined the two classes, Mr. Fisher and I decided that a good way to show cultural differences was to have the students bring in food,” Albanese said. The students were able to sample foods from all over the world. “They really did a good job with this.”

A favorite, among the students and teachers was the samosa, brought in by Areeb Chaudhry. This dish is popular in Pakistan, the birthplace of Areeb’s parents.

“Samosa is a dish that we eat at home on a regular basis,” Areeb said. “My mom makes it from potatoes, green peppers and some other ingredients that we have to go to Fort Myers to buy. It represents my culture from Pakistan.”

Although the food is gone, the mosaics remain on display at the school.