My trail flights (I had two with different clubs) were very similar, however I had a detailed pre-flight brief and everything was explained clearly throughout.
My first "proper" lesson was my second hour at the club I chose, with a very detailed pre-flight brief (over an hour long, including checking aircraft, weather etc) learning to taxi, doing the throttle for takeoff etc etc... I used my trial flights to get a feel for the atmosphere of the aerodrome and club, the relationship between students and instructors and finally trying the cafe to see if the bacon baps were any good!