Prof working to get boys into reading

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'A lot of things — critical thinking, comprehension, imagination — bubble up into a child's brain from a book. But none of that can happen if the book isn't cracked open.

Turning reluctant readers, especially boys, into eager ones is the idea behind a reading program that a University of Northern Colorado education professor helped develop.

Michael Opitz, a former elementary school teacher who specializes in reading and language arts, said he's hopeful the new program, called Pair-It Extreme, will get children in first through third grades hooked on reading.

Opitz said boys are 50 percent more likely to be held back a grade and three to five times more likely to have a disability placement in school. Young boys often consider reading boring or a girly activity.'