7th Grade Compare-Contrast Essay
Name: ___________________Hr:
You will be writing a compare/contrast essay showing the similarities and differences between “Zoo” and
“He-y, Come On Ou-t!” You will get to choose the two topics you want to discuss. Below are a few ideas to
get you thinking.
Possible topics (you can pick others if you like):
 Characters from the different stories that share similar experiences
 Common themes between the two stories
 Details about the settings of each story that relate to science fiction
 Science-fiction characteristics of each story
 Conflicts of each story
Below, write the two topics you plan on writing your paper about:
Topic 1___________________________
Topic 2___________________________
Outline:
Introduction
1. Attention grabbing start (Ex: ask a question, describe something from the story)
2. Summarize “Zoo” in 2 sentences or less. Include the title and author.
3. Summarize “He-y, Come on Ou-t!”” in 2 sentences or less. Include the title and author.
4. Clear ONE SENTENCE thesis statement
a. Use the following sentence for the last sentence of the introduction: The science fiction short
stories “Zoo” by Edward Hoch and “He-y, Come On Ou-t” by Shinichi Hoshi have many
similarities and differences between them.
1st Body Paragraph-Topic 1
1. Topic sentence that includes what this paragraph will be about (topic 1)
2. Discuss “Zoo” in relation to topic 1
3. Discuss ““He-y, Come on Ou-t!” in relation to topic 1
4. Directly point out the similarities between the the 2 stories for topic 1
5. Directly point out the differences between the the 2 stories for topic 1
6. Concluding statement (restate in new words your topic sentence)
2nd Body Paragraph-Topic 2
1. Topic sentence that includes what this paragraph will be about (topic 2)
2. Discuss “Zoo” in relation to topic 2
3. Discuss ““He-y, Come on Ou-t!” in relation to topic 2
4. Directly point out the similarities between the the 2 stories for topic 2
5. Directly point out the differences between the the 2 stories for topic 2
6. Concluding statement (restate in new words your topic sentence)
Conclusion
1. Restate the thesis using new wording. It should be worded differently than the one in your thesis.
2. Briefly remind the reader of some of the ideas you discussed regarding topic 1
3. Briefly remind the reader of some of the ideas you discussed regarding topic 2
You will want to literally point out the similarities and differences in each body paragraph. In your essay, you will want
to include phrases similar to those below:
 In “Zoo,” it is similar because…
 In “He-y, Come On Out” it is different because…
 Both of these stories have…
 While “Zoo” includes _________, “He-y, Come On Ou-t” includes _________ making it different.
 On the other hand, “Zoo” is different from “He-y, Come On Out” because…
Example Body Paragraph (you may not use this same topic)
Both “Zoo” and “He-y, Come on Ou-t!” have strange characters. In “Zoo” there are spider-like horse alien creatures that
exist on the planet Kaan. They live in small homes and enjoy attending the zoo that travels around with Professor Hugo on a
spaceship once a year. While these creatures are aliens, in “He-y, Come On Ou-t!” the unknown creature is not an alien at all; it
is a mysterious black hole. This hole was discovered after a shrine was destroyed by a typhoon in a small fishing village in
Japan. The black hole is used as a garbage dump by the villagers, and it never seems to fill up. In “Zoo” the main character is
an alien that can talk and interact with other creatures. However, in. “He-y, Come on Ou-t!” the main character is not even a
person or creature, and it is not able to talk and communicate with others. While the alien creatures from “Zoo” are very different
from the black hole in “He-y, Come On Ou-t!, both are unknown to our world and add to the science-fiction genre of the stories.
Underline = compare/contrast language
Grading Rubric
Introduction
Body
Paragraphs
Conclusion
Compare/
Contrast
Language
Formatting
Mechanics
______/40pts
Great
All intro expectations are met:
- Attention grabbing start
-Author and title mentioned for
each story
-Brief summary of each story
-Clear well-written thesis
-Clear topic sentence matches
the content of the paragraph and
is only 1 sentence
-Adequate and relevant
examples from the stories are
given to support the ideas in
each paragraph
-Ideas and connections to each
topic are clearly explained
-Ideas are focused and on topic
-Clearly connects ideas back to
thesis with a concluding
statement
-Directly and clearly compares
and contrasts topics in each
paragraph
-All elements from outline are
included
-Well-rounded, reminds reader
of thesis, recaps main points
Fluently uses compare/ contrast
language to show similarities
and differences between the
stories
All formatting conventions are
correct: 1” margins, correct
heading, double spaced, Times
New Roman size12 font
Little to no problems with
spelling, punctuation, run-ons,
fragments, comma splices,
capitalization, etc
Okay
Most intro expectations are met:
- Attention grabbing start
-Author and title mentioned for each
story
-Brief summary of each story
-Clear well-written thesis
-Topic sentence is somewhat clear
and somewhat matches the content
of the paragraph and is only 1
sentence
- Examples from stories mostly
support thesis
-Ideas and connections to each
topic are somewhat clear
-Ideas are mostly focused on topic
-Somewhat connects ideas back to
thesis with a concluding statement
-May need more support/evidence
needed to fully develop ideas
-Somewhat compares and contrasts
topics in each paragraph but ideas
may not be clear.
-Some elements from outline are
included
-Reminds reader of thesis, recaps
main points. Ideas may not be
presented with new wording.
Attempts using compare/ contrast
language to show similarities and
differences between the stories
Most formatting conventions are
correct: 1” margins, correct heading,
double spaced, Times New Roman
size12 font
Some problems with spelling,
punctuation, run-ons, fragments,
comma splices, capitalization, etc
but writing is still easily understood.
Needs Work
Few intro expectations are met:
- Attention grabbing start
-Author and title mentioned for
each story
-Brief summary of each story
-Clear well-written thesis
-Topic sentence does not clearly
connect with paragraph and/or is
more than 1 sentence
-Examples from stories do not
support thesis
-Ideas and connections to each
topic are unclear and/or hard to
follow.
-Ideas are not focused
-No concluding statement
-More support/evidence needed
to fully develop ideas
-Does not clearly compare and
contrast topics in each
paragraph or C/C is not
significant enough.
-Missing numerous elements
from outline
-Does not remind reader of
thesis and/or does not recaps
main points
Not enough compare/ contrast
language to show similarities
and differences between the
stories
Few formatting conventions are
correct: 1” margins, correct
heading, double spaced, Times
New Roman size12 font
Many problems with spelling,
punctuation, run-ons, fragments,
comma splices, capitalization,
etc causing problems with
coherence.