Depending on the level of the class, the students may need some guidance in drawing, making observations, comparing various materials, etc. Reading the material on the worksheets out loud seems to help with younger students, especially when there is much variation in reading level. Answers can be discussed in the field, with individual students describing what they have seen. There will often be variation in individual students' observations. Follow-up Discussion of observations made on the trip can continue in the classroom.
Slides taken at various stops can serve as useful reminders of features examined during discussions.
The trips may also foster appreciation of buildings and other urban structures. While urban field trips can be used as a self-contained unit on geology, the study of building stone can also be combined with other disciplines to form a multidisciplinary unit. Trips to classic downtown buildings can serve as combined lessons in geology and architecture. Examination of sculptures can combine lessons in geology and art. A field trip to one of the state capitols, or other splendid public buildings built with a variety of building stone, could include lessons in geology, architecture, history, and civics.