The article discusses the features of methods of teaching the history of language in a foreign language classroom. With regard to the increase of the number of applicants who enroll in Russian universities directly on the basis of secondary education, bypassing the preparatory faculties, which arises the problem of an insufficiently prepared group of learners, in which the disciplines related to the study of the history of the language are taught. Accordingly, the teacher has to solve the problem by revising the methodological approaches to the teaching of the discipline. In particular, it is necessary to vary the volume and content of the educational material, implement the principle of communicativeness in teaching, and use interactive ways to enhance the activities of the students. In fact, the courses become less academic and more oriented towards the practical application of acquired knowledge by the students in order to improve their own knowledge in the field of Russian grammar. We offer our view on the construction of courses "Old Slavonic language" and "Historical grammar of the Russian language" in a foreign audience, methods and ways to ensure the principle of continuity and the actualization of the knowledge gained when studying subsequent courses. The article discusses the types of assignments, by fulfilling which students reinforce their knowledge and skills. The work with foreign students, in the classes of the Old Slavonic language and historical grammar of the Russian language, is focused on creating in the students a positive attitude towards the Russian language and Russian culture.

The combination of total uncertainty and forced self-isolation during the pandemic create a condition for stress reactions, mental and somatic disturbance of a large number of people around the world. Sleep quality has been validated as an indicator of well-being during a pandemic and a predictor of delayed risk. At this article demonstrate the interaction between psychological hardness and risk of insomnia in group of students of Herzen University during the period of remote education connected with COVID-19 pandemic. The hypothesis of the study was the assumption about the influence of hardness on the ability of students to cope with the challenge of complexity, the negative relationship of its characteristics with the index of insomnia and anxiety, as well as positive ones with the characteristics of life-meaning orientations and tolerance to uncertainty. The study show that level of psychological hardness can predict risk of insomnia and feeling of anxiety. The article demonstrate that psychological hardiness is connected with tolerance to the uncertainty. The practical significance is determined by the substantiation of indicators of potential risk and directions of development of resources for coping with the challenge of complexity in the student period. The article shows that resilience is associated with a tolerance for uncertainty.

The article is devoted to the usage of educational texts in writing skills development during Russian as a second language learning process. It is especially relevant for those who are taking higher education programs in Russia and in Russian. It discusses the main problems arising in working with various genres of written texts presented in modern textbooks on writing. Particular attention is paid to differences in work with reproductive and productive types of writing texts, as well as genres that are included in Test of Russian as a Foreign Language (TORFL). Various methods were used, such as comparative, analytical, descriptive and others. All the methods used allowed us to identify the distinctive features of sample texts offered in modern writing materials. An analysis of students' papers performed during the lessons, allowed us to draw a conclusion about the causes of errors. The article substantiates the possibility of including into the educational process a new genre of written texts - SMS messages. The relevance of this idea is explained by the existing trend of using electronic communication, as well as the wide distribution among students of various messenger applications, such as WhatsApp and others.