How to correctly drive a manual car?

I just got a manual Hyundai accent and I have a few questions. I'm able to get from point a to b, but I'm not sure exactly the correct way to do things.

1)when comming to a stop should you just put it into neutral and coast to a stop. I heard that doing that makes the car a little more difficult to control. But I also heard that downshifting was unnecessary too.

2) it seems like when I start from a stop i can't do a smooth take off. It is always jerky like it needs more gas, but when I try starting by giving more gas it burns off the tires. Is there a trick, or do I just need more practice?

3) in heavy traffic it seems like I slip the clutch alot because people aren't going fast enough, so I kind of let go half way. Does this cause alot of unnecessary wear?

Anything else you can say to help me out would be appreciated. I've only been driving it a couple days, so alot of my difficulties are due to my lack of experience, but I have lots of motorcycle experience(same concept), so I thought it would come a little easier to me.