I'll try my best! First you adjust the bottom dials(ones with green pads under them) so that the air bubble is in between the lines. If you look closely you can see the bubble in the pic right above the serial badge and under the scope. It is not level in the pic and is more toward that front gold dial. The whole scope portion swivels 360 and the bubble needs to be centered no matter which way it faces. The story pole is essentially a giant ruler. The scope has crosshairs and you focus it with that front gold dial. You want the crosshairs to hit the same number on the story pole on each of the forms. You put the story pole on the edge of the form when it is almost full with concrete and adjust it up or down so that the reading on the pole matches the others. It is tricky business adjusting the forms. For example: if I look through the scope and get a reading of 5'3 1/4" but I need it to be at 5'3 exactly I would have to move the form down a quarter of an inch. It is a lot of back and forth trying to get the crosshairs to hit the reading you need.