Need help on how to compose UI

I am trying to design an app but having a lot of trouble setting out the UI, I am new to Android, having spent many years programming VB, where things are a lot simpler and less sophisticated. I have books that give simple examples but can't find a definitive guide to building what I need.

Line 1 Page title, settings menu on left, date selector on right
Line 2 4 tabs, which may change content and number, depending on page
Line 3 Body of the page giving database records and selections, floating add button
Line 4 Up to 6 or 8 shortcut buttons and dustbin when required

Lines 1 and 4 will be common to all pages in the app, Lines 2 and 3 will change from page to page

What type of project should I start with?
What type of layout(s) would be best to use?
Should I use fragments for lines 2 and 3?
Do I use containers?
How do I find the setting button (3 dots), it doesn't appear to be in the image buttons?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.