English · Première, Terminale (B1 to C2), Bac pro

Session 6: Shifting a debate step by step: the Overton window

Recap check
  1. Give two differences between a post and an article.
  2. What does a newspaper do when it is wrong?
  3. What is a standfirst?
Answer key
  1. Named author, date, sources, aim to inform, corrections.
  2. It publishes a correction.
  3. The short summary under the headline.
Question : How does an idea that makes people laugh become normal?

Objectives

Today's language goal

To explain step by step how a debate can be shifted on purpose, we need the words of influence (bandwagon, fake expert, unsourced, mainstream, fringe) and used to / be used to / get used to.

Documents

Fictional scenario, invented for class. Online accounts want to make wearing pyjamas in town normal.
  1. Unthinkable: "Who would go out in pyjamas?" People laugh.
  2. Radical: a funny video shows someone at the market in pyjamas.
  3. Acceptable: "After all, it is comfortable." A so-called expert talks about well-being.
  4. Sensible: an unsourced "poll" says lots of people do it.
  5. Popular: influencers adopt the trend.
  6. Policy, the norm: "People who get dressed are so old-fashioned."

Grammar lesson: used to, be used to, get used to

To explain step by step how a debate can be shifted on purpose, we need used to, be used to, get used to
For the teacher: how to run it (8 to 10 minutes)
  1. Read the scenario: “Who would go out in pyjamas?” then “People who get dressed are so old-fashioned.” Ask: what has changed? People used to laugh; now they are used to it.
  2. Write the three structures in three colours. Insist: used to + base verb; be / get used to + -ing.
  3. Students copy. Mime getting used to something (a new school, a new phone).
  4. Quick check, then exercises, then the six-step activity.
On the board, to copy

Rule

used to + base verb: a past habit or state that is finished. be used to + noun or -ing: it is normal for me now. get used to + noun or -ing: it is becoming normal. The Overton window is a story of getting used to an idea.

Form

  • used to + base verb: People used to laugh. Negative: didn't use to.
  • be used to + noun / -ing: We are used to seeing pyjamas in town.
  • get used to + noun / -ing: People got used to the idea.
  • Careful: after be / get used to, never the base verb.

Use

  • used to: what people thought or did before the shift.
  • get used to: the steps of the shift.
  • be used to: the final stage, when the idea is the norm.

Examples from the lesson

  • People used to laugh at the idea.
  • Little by little, they got used to seeing pyjamas at the market.
  • Now they are used to it: it has become the norm.
  • Influencers make us get used to new trends very fast.

Common mistakes

  • Not People are used to wear pyjamas., but People are used to wearing pyjamas.
  • Not I use to laugh., but I used to laugh.
  • Not They got used to see it., but They got used to seeing it.
  • Not Did you used to ...?, but Did you use to ...?

Quick check (2 minutes, hands up or mini whiteboards)used to, be used to or get used to?

  1. People ______ laugh at pyjamas in town.
  2. After the videos, they started to ______ the idea.
  3. Now everyone ______ seeing it.
  4. I ______ like odd socks, but now I love them. (negative)
Show the answers

1. used to. 2. get used to. 3. is used to. 4. didn't use to.

Exercises

EntryRecognition. Say if the sentence describes a past habit (P), a process of change (C) or a new normal (N).

  1. People used to find it ridiculous.
  2. Shoppers got used to seeing pyjamas.
  3. Now we are used to it.
  4. Teenagers used to mock the idea.
  5. Slowly, the town is getting used to the trend.
  6. Influencers are used to launching trends.
Show the answers

1. P. 2. C. 3. N. 4. P. 5. C. 6. N.

CoreGap-fill. Use used to, be used to or get used to, in the right form, with the verb in the right form.

  1. Ten years ago, people (laugh) at this idea.
  2. At first it was strange, but we (see) it.
  3. Influencers (post) every day: it is their job.
  4. It took months to (the new rule).
  5. I (not / wear) odd socks, but now I do.
  6. Will people ever (eat) chips for breakfast?
  7. Our grandparents (read) the news on paper.
Show the answers

1. used to laugh. 2. got used to seeing. 3. are used to posting. 4. get used to the new rule. 5. didn't use to wear. 6. get used to eating. 7. used to read.

StretchProduction. Invent your own neutral scenario (chips for breakfast, odd socks) in six steps. Use each structure at least once.

Show the answers

For example: Unthinkable: people used to think chips for breakfast were a joke. Radical: a funny video shows a family eating chips at 7 a.m. Acceptable: a so-called nutritionist says it gives energy. Sensible: an unsourced poll claims many teenagers do it. Popular: influencers post their breakfast chips, and fans get used to the idea. Policy: now everyone is used to it, and a café sells “breakfast chips”.

Going further (for students heading to language studies)Advanced. Use would for past habits and the passive of get used to. Rewrite and explain.

  1. Every weekend, people used to laugh at the trend. (would)
  2. The idea became normal for the public. (got used to by ...? correct it)
  3. Explain why “used to” and not “would” for a past state: People used to think it was ridiculous.
Show the answers

1. Every weekend, people would laugh at the trend (would for repeated past actions). 2. The public got used to the idea (get used to has no natural passive: keep the public as subject). 3. Would cannot express a past state (think, be, have); only used to can.

Words in action

To say it precisely, we need the right words

EntryMatch: bandwagon effect, fake expert, unsourced, mainstream.

  1. accepted by most people
  2. with no source given
  3. doing something because everyone else does
  4. someone who pretends to be a specialist
Show the answers

1. mainstream. 2. unsourced. 3. bandwagon effect. 4. fake expert.

CorePut the six Overton steps in order: popular, acceptable, unthinkable, policy, radical, sensible.

Show the answers

unthinkable, radical, acceptable, sensible, popular, policy.

StretchExplain the difference between a fashion that changes naturally and a debate pushed on purpose.

Show the answers

A fashion spreads because people like it, slowly, from many places. A pushed debate follows a plan: the same accounts, fake experts and unsourced figures make an idea look normal fast.

Activities

  1. For each step, name the technique: humour, emotion, fake expert, unsourced figure, repetition, bandwagon effect.
  2. Tell apart a fashion that changes naturally and a debate pushed on purpose.
  3. Invent your own neutral scenario (chips for breakfast, odd socks) in six steps.
  4. Summary: when an idea changes too fast, I ask who is pushing it and with what evidence.

Exercise

Match each sentence with a technique: 1. Everybody does it. 2. An expert says so (no name). 3. 80% of people agree (no source). 4. The same joke posted every day.
Answer key1. Bandwagon effect. 2. Fake or anonymous authority. 3. Unsourced figure. 4. Repetition and humour.

Figures of speech in the documents

Metaphors: the Overton window and the bandwagon

“the Overton window”; techniques: “bandwagon effect”

The window is a metaphor: it frames the ideas that people find acceptable; when it moves, other ideas come into view. The bandwagon was the wagon carrying the band in a parade: jumping on it means joining the crowd. Both images show that opinion can be moved like an object.

EntryWhat does the window frame?

Show the answers

The ideas that people find acceptable.

CoreExplain “jump on the bandwagon” with the pyjama scenario.

Show the answers

When influencers adopt pyjamas, people follow just because everyone seems to do it.

StretchInvent another image for a debate that is pushed step by step, and explain it.

Show the answers

For example: a staircase: each step looks small, but at the top you are far from where you started.

Gap-fill worksheet

Word bank : window, unthinkable, repetition, poll, norm

  1. The Overton ______ describes the ideas the public accepts at a given time.
  2. At first, the idea seems ______.
  3. ______ makes an idea familiar.
  4. A ______ with no source proves nothing.
  5. In the end, the idea becomes the ______.
Answer key
  1. window
  2. unthinkable
  3. Repetition
  4. poll
  5. norm

Expression task

Now say it

Invent your own neutral scenario in six steps and present it to the class; the class names each technique.

EntryThree steps: unthinkable, popular, norm, one sentence each.

CoreSix steps with the technique named and used to / get used to.

StretchAdd a final warning sentence with a metaphor from the session.

Tools to use:

Show a model answer

At first, people used to think that odd socks were a mistake. Then a funny video showed a teacher in odd socks. A so-called fashion expert said it showed creativity. An unsourced poll claimed half the class did it. Influencers jumped on the bandwagon, and people got used to it. Now everyone is used to odd socks. Warning: when the window moves this fast, ask who is pushing it.

Levels

LevelAdjustment
Première (B1)Four steps with pictures.
Terminale (B1 to B2)Use the passive and reporting verbs: it is said, it is claimed.
C1/C2 extensionRead about the concept and discuss its limits: who decides what is acceptable?
Bac proExample from the workplace: a habit that spreads.

Homework

Write your neutral six-step scenario, then one sentence per step showing how a careful reader can resist (ask for the source, check the expert, look for the poll).
Answer keyModel answer: six steps in order (unthinkable, radical, acceptable, sensible, popular, norm), one technique per step, one critical response per step.