This is a good topic after a school career fair or after a unit on different jobs in the community. Ask students to write about what they want to do when they grow up and why. In the journal entry, have them draw pictures of themselves doing the job or include a photo of someone in the career. Take the lessons a step further and have students check out a library book on that career field and write about what kind of training and education they will need.
Students can write about the holiday of their choice and what that particular holiday means to them. Have them include family traditions, funny or touching memories of those holidays and what they're looking forward to the next time that holiday comes around. One of the benefits of this journal topic is that it gets kids thinking about why certain traditions are important.
Kids like to have favorites things, such as favorite Halloween candy, favorite TV shows and favorite colors. Some simple journal topics could call on the fourth-graders to name their favorite animal, sports team, class at school, song, food, etc., and then explain why that particular item is their favorite.
Students who have trouble starting their journal entries may be aided if the topic is put forth as a sentence to be finished. That sentence can be the first line in that day's journal entry. From there, students can elaborate on the idea or explain what they wrote. Some unfinished sentence ideas include: "The funniest thing I ever saw was...." and "I remember when I was _____ years old and I ...." and "My favorite movie is ______, because..."
Fourth-graders have wonderful imaginations, so journal topics that let them fantasize a little can produce some entertaining and revealing entries. Some "If" prompts include: "If I could live anywhere in the world..." and "If I could have superhero powers...." and "If I were stranded on a deserted island..." These types of topics can also be useful as story starters for creative writing assignments.