McKenna/Kirk's Beginning Algebra, Preliminary Edition, strives to teach math with language that students can understand, while focusing on problem solving, vocabulary, and how topics relate within algebra and the world around them.

Building a Foundation: the authors focus on building a strong foundation in algebra through the use of a friendly, conversational writing style, while helping students improve their problem-solving skills, mathematical vocabulary, and mastery of mathematical concepts.

Expanding on the Foundation - To help students relate to the material, the authors use real-world applications that are tied to the chapter theme. This theme gives students a common thread to relate the material to as they progress through each chapter. McKenna/Kirk carefully guides readers through an intuitive problem-solving approach called the 4 P’s–Prepare, Plan, Process, and Ponder–that teaches students to solve application problems, including the chapter theme applications, in a logical, step-by-step manner. The authors address students’ lack of mathematic vocabulary by introducing terminology gradually and using it consistently throughout the text. Chapter features such as Recall and Looking Ahead help students connect important concepts by highlighting previously learned material and previewing topics to come.