The Rice Project can be used in more than one way. If a teacher were to take a comparison model approach there are a number of differences that could be highlighted, such as between:
a) farming methods in rice growing between Indonesia and the US
b) farming variations between California and Texas
c) the impact of technology on agriculture in the early 1800's and the early 1900's


Another variation to consider is whether the teacher will use the project as a one-to-many process where the project acts as a template discussion with the class and she adds in elements under the comparison columns based on student input from the entire class. The teacher could also do the opening activity, Rice - Past, Present, and Future - and have the students move into groups that will tackle each major component. Of course, this presumes that the focus of the discussion has been predetermined. It might be a little confusing if one group discussed lifestyles of rice farmers in the past while another group is tackling the change in implements.

Students could also have the option of working entirely independently to create their projects and then come together again to present the final product. The time frame for this could be as short as a single class period if students had been studying the topic and were only using a template to report their findings, or it could be two or three weeks if they are researching the topic from the start and assembling resources.