Narrowing Broad Questions

This worksheet is designed for students in Grades 5-7 to strengthen questioning skills, writing precision, and critical thinking by learning how to refine broad or unfocused questions. Students begin with general prompts such as “Tell me about animals” and practice narrowing them by adding focus points, limits, or specific criteria, helping them create questions that lead to clearer, more useful answers in writing, research, and AI interactions.

Learning Goals

• Question Development & Refinement (Grades 5-7) – Turn broad questions into specific, answerable prompts.
• Writing for Purpose & Focus – Clarify intent by adding boundaries such as topic, time frame, or length.
• Critical Thinking Skills – Identify what makes a question too vague and determine how to improve it.
• Research & Inquiry Skills – Frame questions that support efficient research and meaningful responses.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource – Designed by educators to align with middle-grade ELA and research standards.
• Guided Practice Format – Includes examples and opportunities for independent application.
• Real-World Relevance – Supports academic research, classroom discussions, and AI prompt writing.
• Flexible Use – Ideal for writing workshops, inquiry-based lessons, digital literacy units, or homework.

This printable worksheet helps students become more effective questioners by teaching them how to narrow broad ideas into focused, purposeful prompts. By practicing how to “zoom in” on key details, learners strengthen writing clarity, research readiness, and critical thinking. Suitable for classroom or homeschool use, this no-prep activity builds essential inquiry skills that support clearer communication and more meaningful learning outcomes.

This worksheet is part of our Fixing Bad AI Prompts collection.