Internet Resources: Optimization of Second Language Writing Skills Mastering during COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

COVID-19 pandemic forced the entire world community to reconsider its educational learning strategies. Modern Information and Communication Technologies have provided the mastery of writing skills by philology students during distance learning. Writing skills are acquired in writing texts of different genres: primary, written without the resource literature, and secondary, written by students based on primary sources. Interactive activities based on Internet resources enabled creating a virtual learning environment for mastering the second language written communication. This study analyzes various interactive activities on the Internet and suggests division into two groups: educational and controlling interactive activities. The study aims to define the effectiveness and methodological characteristics of the interactive activities to optimize the writing skills mastering during lockdowns. It presents the stages of text writing for users of the A2 language level. The paper gives examples of interactive activities based on communicative situations that teach to write a text at a sentence, paragraph, and text level. It also determines their goal, techniques, ways of control, and benefits of using such exercises for self-study of writing skills. The study concludes with recommendations of using communicative cases and activities to improve mastering written communication.