Take a class. Your local community or trade college almost certainly has an auto mechanic program. The future tradesman will gain an understanding of basic engine parts that provides a foundation for further education. The interested amateur will find that the information more than covers her needs.
Make flash cards. Flash cards are a time tested method of absorbing information. On one side of an index card draw a rough image of the engine part. If you are not artistically inclined, run the name of the part through an image search and print out the image, or copy the image from your text book. On the other side of the card, write the name of the engine part. Include as many variations as you can, for example, include parts of a two-stroke engine versus parts of a diesel engine.
Read car magazines. Automotive magazines aren't just for advanced motor enthusiasts. Magazines such as Hot Rod, Family Car and Car Craft have projects for the novice and advanced student alike. Even if you don't plan on doing the projects, reading about them will give you a better sense of how basic engine parts work together.
Listen to auto repair talk shows. National Public Radio's syndicated "Car Talk" is highly entertaining, as well as being an excellent resource to learn lots about basic engine parts in layman's terms. In addition, look around to see if there are any similar local shows. Auto repair talk shows are frequently geared toward people with little to no knowledge of the topic at hand. Listen to them enough and you will learn even more details about engines and parts.
Use forums. Any lingering question you have can almost certainly be addressed by an online auto repair forum. Mechanics and other automobile enthusiasts congregate on these sites to give people free advice. You can search for previously existing topics or create you own.