how do i know if my iphone is charging?

Lightening bolt = charging.
Plug = fully charged.

(Applies only to the small icon in the upper right; the large green battery on the unlock screen does not show the charging status.)

Mine was fully charged. Run it for a while (until you can see that the charge level has gone down), then plug it in, and you should see the lightening bolt.

one way to speed your power eating is to watch a few tv episodes on it. The bar will get about half way then. When you plug it in it will show the bolt and plug.

If not turn the phone off (hold standby and slide the red switch) then power on

If its a 3G you can tell if after charging, it only drops 7 out of 10 calls, rather than 8.