I would read and understand the section on flight controls and auto-thrust. It is really important to understand how they work and the logic involved. Airbus FBW flies just like a conventional jet, you just have to understand how the design engineers have made your life easier by the way you control it.
Also the speed tape; Green Dot, VLS, Alpha Prot, Alpha Max etc - very important to understand these and how the aircraft and auto-thrust will interact with them.
Understand how Ground speed mini operates on approach. Instead of referencing IAS; Ground speed mini ADDs thrust if the head wind increases and REDUCES thrust if the headwind reduces - within certain limits. So it locks the ground speed on approach, not the air speed, and is why the engines can thrust up and down a lot on a turbulent approach. This is opposite to conventional systems but it keeps the aircraft energy constant with changing head winds.
Nobody I have ever been taught by could teach the side-stick. Hold it properly like a pistol. If you need to make a correction move the stick until the aircraft attitude is where you want it, then return the stick to neutral. Airbus FBW will hold that attitude you have set - within reason and certain limits. (The FBW has surface and aircraft feedbacks to enable it to adjust the flight controls in the background to hold your selected attitude). Make small side-stick corrections and always return to neutral between each input. There is a large arm rest on the outboard side of your seat. Adjust this this to rest your forearm along when you hold the side-stick. It will make your manual control much smoother.
The Airbus FBW auto-thrust is brilliant. It is a very logical system, and works very well. The auto-thrust will move the thrust between IDLE and CLB or MCT, depending which detent the thrust levers are in. If you click the levers out of a detent, the thrust will rapidly change to match whichever angle the levers are at, and then you have manual thrust - push forwards for more thrust, pull back for less. At any time, from any position or detent; pushing forwards will give you more thrust, just like any jet. The levers don't move by themselves so it simply means that you look at the engine N1 or EPR gauges to see any thrust changes instead of looking at the thrust levers themselves. You are looking at the instruments anyway, so you can see exactly what is happening.
On the FCP; if you pull SPD, HDG, ALT, V/S out towards you, you are telling the Airbus "do what I select". If you push them in you are telling the Airbus "you control it according to what I have programmed in the FMGS", e.g. Managed Nav.
A reasonable understanding of how to use the MCDU to enter basic flight data, waypoints and and routes will be a great help in setting up the SIM.
Airbus FBW is a fantastic machine. Enjoy !