Although field work can be an effective means of increasing student awareness of a particular topic and fostering research skills that are difficult to develop in a classroom, field trips are too often conducted as dreary, meaningless sightseeing tours. This pitfall can be avoided by organizing field work activities using a six-stage systems approach which relates the subject to be studied with desired educational outcomes. During Stage I the instructor determines the topic of the field work and assesses study locations and activities in terms of their illustrative and educational potential vis-a-vis the desired educational objectives. In Stage II, administrative preparations, such as gaining institutional consent, determining costs, scheduling the activity, and making reservations, are made. During Stage III the students are prepared for the field work through an introduction to the topic in question and a discussion of the data acquisition skills that will be required. In Stage IV, the field activity itself, the students participate in observing, measuring, recording, and analyzing the field environment. Stage V offers a series of classroom follow-up sessions, and Stage VI provides the instructor with feedback via student evaluations of the experience. This descriptive essay includes charts illustrating this systems approach to field trip planning. (JP)